Bharat EduAI Stack: AI in Education, Significance, Challenges and Way Forward

Description

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Picture Courtesy: Indian Express

Context:

The Union Government plans to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into teaching from the next academic session, covering pre-primary to higher education.

The initiative revolves around Bodhan AI, a not-for-profit entity launched under the Centre of Excellence in AI for Education hosted at IIT Madras with a ₹500 crore budget allocation.

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Evolution of AI in Education:

Phase & Period	Key Features	Nature of AI Use	Educational Impact
Computer-Assisted Instruction (1960s–1990s)	Computer-based tutorials, drill-and-practice exercises, automated quizzes	Rule-based programmed instruction with no real intelligence or adaptation	Improved access to digital learning materials but offered minimal interaction and no personalisation
Intelligent Tutoring Systems (2000s)	Step-by-step problem guidance, instant feedback, subject-specific learning support	Rule-based AI simulated one-to-one tutoring by responding to student inputs	Enabled early personalisation and improved conceptual understanding in specific subjects
Data-Driven Adaptive Learning (2010–2019)	Learning analytics, personalised content pathways, automated assessment, MOOCs	Machine learning analysed performance data to adjust difficulty and learning pace	Improved learning outcomes, identified weak areas, and enabled targeted interventions and dropout prediction
AI-enabled Online Learning (2020–2021)	Virtual classrooms, remote assessments, engagement tracking, content recommendations	AI supported large-scale online delivery, monitoring, and adaptive resource allocation	Ensured continuity of education during disruptions and accelerated digital and hybrid learning adoption
Generative & Conversational AI (2022–Present)	AI tutors, chatbots, multilingual content generation, voice-based learning support	Large Language Models (LLMs) and speech AI provided explanations, answered queries, and created learning material	Enabled personalised learning at scale and improved accessibility across languages and learning levels
AI as Digital Public Infrastructure (India – Emerging)	Sovereign multilingual AI systems integrated into national platforms aligned with National Education Policy 2020 via DIKSHA and initiatives like Bodhan AI	Government-led AI infrastructure allowing plug-and-play integration for schools and edtech providers	Promotes inclusive, affordable, and scalable personalised education suited to India’s linguistic and socio-economic diversity

How Bharat EduAI stack will work as digital public infrastructure?

The Bharat EduAI Stack, developed by Bodhan AI at IIT Madras, is designed to function like other national digital public systems such as Unified Payments Interface, providing a shared, open, and scalable backbone for AI-enabled education.

Working mechanism as DPI:

Layer	How It Works
1. Core AI Foundation	Bharat EduAI develops multilingual language models, speech recognition, and learning analytics tailored to Indian curricula and languages.
2. Sovereign Infrastructure Layer	These models are hosted on India-based, secure cloud infrastructure, ensuring data sovereignty and reducing dependence on foreign AI systems.
3. Open APIs & Interoperability	Standardised APIs allow edtech firms, state platforms, and school systems to plug AI features into their existing applications.
4. Application Ecosystem	Startups, private companies, and government bodies build AI-powered tools (personalised learning, assessments, teacher support) using the core stack.
5. Public Delivery Layer	State governments and education departments deploy these tools across schools, ensuring last-mile access.
6. Feedback & Governance Layer	Learning data (with privacy safeguards) generates district/state-level insights for monitoring outcomes and guiding policy decisions.

AI tools and applications that will help in Bharat EduAI:

For students:

Application	How it is going to help?
Voice-based learning assistants	Enables students to learn and practise in their mother tongue using speech recognition
AI doubt-solving tutors	Provides instant explanations and answers to student queries
Adaptive learning systems	Adjusts difficulty level based on student performance and learning pace
Personalised worksheets & practice tests	Generates customised exercises targeting weak areas
Reading fluency and pronunciation tools	Analyses oral reading and suggests improvements

For teacher:

Application	How it is going to help?
Student diagnostic reports	Identifies individual learning gaps and strengths
Remedial content recommendations	Suggests targeted activities and worksheets
Automated assessment and grading	Reduces evaluation workload
Lesson planning assistance	Provides AI-supported teaching resources aligned with NCERT/SCERT

For Parents:

Tool/Application	How it is going to help?
Progress tracking dashboards	Provides regular updates on child’s learning progress
Early warning alerts	Flags learning delays or performance decline
Home learning suggestions	Recommends activities for reinforcement

For school:

Tool/Application	How it is going to help?
School performance dashboards	Tracks learning outcomes across classes and subjects
District/state analytics	Identifies low-performing regions for targeted interventions
Resource planning tools	Supports teacher deployment and academic planning
Policy decision support systems	Enables evidence-based education governance

Importance of AI for India’s education system:

Enables personalised learning at scale: Given India’s large class sizes and diverse learning levels, artificial intelligence can tailor content, learning pace, and practice exercises to individual student needs, thereby helping to address learning gaps more effectively.

Supports multilingual and inclusive education: Tools such as speech recognition, translation, and learning support in Indian languages can strengthen mother-tongue instruction in line with the National Education Policy 2020, making education more accessible and inclusive for diverse learners.

Improves foundational learning outcomes: Since national learning assessments continue to highlight gaps in basic reading and arithmetic skills, artificial intelligence-based diagnostic tools and targeted remedial support can help strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy.

4. Enhances teacher effectiveness: By generating insights on student performance, automating routine assessments, and providing teaching resources, artificial intelligence can reduce administrative burden and enable teachers to focus more on classroom interaction and mentoring.
Promotes equity in education: If supported by adequate digital infrastructure, Bharat EduAI can help bridge urban–rural and socio-economic disparities by extending quality learning support to remote and underserved regions.

Key concerns of AI in education:

Digital divide: Although artificial intelligence–enabled learning has significant potential, access to digital resources remains uneven, as the Annual Status of Education Report 2023 shows that only about 57 percent of rural households have a smartphone and internet penetration in India is around 55–60 percent, which may exclude a large number of students and deepen existing educational inequalities.
Data privacy: Since the education system covers more than 25 crore students and nearly 95 lakh teachers, the use of artificial intelligence will generate large volumes of sensitive personal and learning data, raising concerns about misuse, profiling, or breaches despite safeguards provided under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
Teacher readiness: India has nearly 95 lakh teachers, many of whom lack adequate digital skills, and without systematic training and institutional support, the effective classroom integration of artificial intelligence tools may remain limited.
Financial challenges: With about 14.7 lakh schools across the country, many of which still face shortages of electricity, internet connectivity, and digital devices, nationwide implementation will require sustained financial investment, maintenance support, and strong administrative coordination.
Screen-Time Concerns: Increased dependence on digital platforms may lead to excessive screen exposure, which can affect children’s eyesight, physical activity, and attention span, particularly during the early years of learning.

Conclusion:

Bharat EduAI has the potential to transform India’s education system by enabling personalised, multilingual, and data-driven learning at scale. However, its success will depend on bridging the digital divide, strengthening teacher capacity, ensuring data protection, and adopting an inclusive and phased implementation approach in line with the National Education Policy 2020.

Source: Indian Express

Attempt Daily Quiz

Practice Question

Q. Discuss the significance of integrating artificial intelligence into India’s education system through the Bharat EduAI Stack. (250 words)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Bharat EduAI is a national initiative to develop a shared artificial intelligence infrastructure for education, enabling personalised learning, multilingual support, and data-driven decision-making across schools and higher education institutions.

Unlike standalone platforms, Bharat EduAI will function as a Digital Public Infrastructure, providing common artificial intelligence tools and open standards that multiple states, schools, and private providers can use and build upon.

Major concerns include the digital divide, data privacy risks, inadequate teacher training, infrastructure gaps, and the possibility of widening educational inequalities if implementation is uneven.