Education Technology | Innovations and Insights - Edinbox

With third-generation Indian Institutes of Technology (3G IITs) coming into existence after 2014, the number of students to be admitted is going to witness a phenomenal surge.

All five such IITs together have filled 1,364 seats for the year 2025-26, the Ministry of Education informed, ready to witness a sensational boom by the academic year 2028-29.

In Union Budget 2025, up to 6,500 seats were to be established in such institutions -- IIT Palakkad, Dharwad, Jammu, Bhilai and Tirupati -- as the government effort in providing quality engineering education at an inclusive and accessible level across the nation.

GRADUAL SEAT EXPANSION ACROSS CAMPUSES

The numbers reflect a combined 28% increase in students capacity across campuses within the next four school years.

The increase will go from 1,364 in 2025-26 to 1,707 in 2028-29 and will total 6,576 seats over the period.

IIT Bhilai witnessed the highest jump of 378 seat hike in 2025-26 alone. The institute will undergo a smooth three-year phase: 381 in 2026-27, 378 in 2027-28 and 348 in 2028-29.

IIT Palakkad comes next with 193 addition of seats this year and even more in the pipeline offering -- 291 in 2026-27, 372 in 2027-28 and 408 in 2028-29.

BREAKDOWN YEARLY AND FUTURE PLANS

IIT Jammu added 251 seats this year and has very high future plans -- 401 seats in 2026-27, 373 in 2027-28 and 263 in 2028-29.

IIT Tirupati introduced 199 seats this year; next year, it will introduce 255 seats, then 290 seats in 2027–2028, and 322 in 2028–2029, respectively.

Having 343 students at present, IIT Dharwad will reach 410 in 2026–2027, then a bit to 345 in 2027–2028 before reaching up to 466 in 2028–2029.

Maximum intake in the year 2027-28 will be in these five IITs and 1,767 students.

EXTRACTION TO BALANCE GEOGRAPHY AND ACCESS

All this exercise is being undertaken by the Ministry as part of its strategy of decongestion of access to quality engineering education and decongestion of the older IITs.

The institutes are being provided with better infrastructure, internationally standards-accredited laboratories, and competitive recruitment of faculty as a thrust towards academic parity.

The incremental approach aligns with National Education Policy's vision of access and equity and India's research and innovation capacity.

US Department of Education officially asked schools to introduce artificial intelligence (AI) technology in the classroom, issuing details this week for how federal funds can be used to fund AI installation. The action represents an indispensable policy shift toward education digitization through personalized learning software, high-leverage tutoring platforms, and AI-influenced career counseling systems.

Under the guidance, the department also published a proposed rule in the Federal Register with explicit priorities for districts and schools seeking discretionary grant funding for AI projects. They are including AI literacy as part of the teaching curriculum, having the capacity to offer dual-enrollment courses in AI-related certifications to high school students, and leveraging AI to automate administrative tedium or enhance teacher professional development.

But even as this national endeavor to pursue AI starts, there is a lurking institutional issue unaddressed: the Department of Education itself does not exist so that it can regulate or support this revolution.

Technology push, oversight vacuum

In February, the Trump administration closed the Office of Educational Technology (OET), the long-troubled office that directed digital learning, edtech policy, and AI regulation in schools. The closure was months prior to the release date for the new AI guidance, creating a leadership void and long-term strategy shortfall during a period of rapidly accelerating technological upheaval.

Meanwhile, the administration is proceeding with a plan to abolish the USDepartment of Education altogether—a step that threatens to dismantle critical questions of who will be responsible for ensuring that AI is deployed safely, equitably, and efficiently in schools if the department is abolished.

This inconsistency—urging national AI adoption while reducing the very infrastructure to curb it—has unsettled across educational ranks, especially district officials tasked with making such changes without federal direction or requirement.

Cybersecurity, funding, and capacity issues

Apart from training with AI, districts also have to deal with increasing cybersecurity attacks. Schools in 2024 applied for more than $3.7 billion in support under the Federal Communications Commission's small pilot program of $200 million to improve cybersecurity, a figure that reflects the level of vulnerability and insufficient investment in digital security measures.

Federal reductions to those supporting K–12 cyber, and the phaseout of edtech guidance offices, left others in the dark. Numerous districts made use of federal threat sharing and response services now absent. Since AI tools are becoming a larger part of instruction, learning, and administration, there is a greater likelihood of cyberattacks—but support to offset those attacks has diminished.

What the new AI guidelines entail

While the policy uncertainty is a drawback, the Advisory of the Education Department does provide useful guidance to schools. It encourages the application of AI for:

Improving curriculum content and tutoring

Educating teachers on AI and computer science principles

Empowering students with disabilities using adaptive technology

Automating administratively cumbersome processes

Making industry-recognized credentials in AI accessible to students

The agency also developed five essential principles for using AI responsibly in schools: that activities be teacher-led, ethical, equitable, transparent, and consistent with current data privacy regulations.

Public feedback on the draft AI priorities will remain open through August 20, providing teachers, school administrators, education officials, and others with a chance to offer input into how federal money is spent.

A cloudy future for AI regulation in schools

Education Department use of AI is a monolith change from the way USclassrooms will be operating in the near past. But aside from the occasional federal directive—and the very real likelihood that the agency itself will cease to exist—no one has any idea who will be responsible for good implementation, student safety, and equity of access to these new technologies.

As schools go on to adopt AI, they will be expected to do so independently of government support to which institutions have grown accustomed in the past. Whether states, private actors, or new institutions will step in to cover the gap remains to be seen.

What is a "good" salary at the start of your career? Is financial progress more important than career satisfaction and future security? These are dilemmas many young professionals face, especially in a setting where private sector pay scales and government benefits afford extremely different career trajectories. A recent case — that of a 22-year-old graduate in engineering who just rejected the private IT industry for a government research job — has reignited this debate, especially after friends informed him that his Rs 18 lakh-a-year offer was "low." 

A Change of Track: From Coding to Research

The young man, a mechanical engineering graduate from a Tier-3 institution in Mumbai, started working with an IT company on a salary of Rs 3.6 lakh per annum. Still, he had his heart fixed on a research job, so he started preparing for the competitive exams held by premier central government research institutes. After clearing the recruitment process, he joined as a Scientific Officer in Mumbai.

His new job has the Rs 18 lakh per annum salary, and all kinds of government benefits — family medical cover, an annual airfare allowance within India, education assistance to children, and a pension scheme guaranteed from April. The job also has stability, non-transferability, and a right over housing in the posh Mumbai areas. 

Surprising Resistance from Friends

Apart from the competitive package and benefits, the young scientist was surprised when some of his friends murmured disappointment, saying that he was shortchanging himself. Most of these friends demonstrated that the IT industry would provide more compensation in the long term, even though most of them received less than half his package.

Their observations left him perplexed, particularly since some of them argued his salary increase would one day lag behind theirs. But statistics he provided indicated otherwise — his colleague who has served in the same organization for 14 years currently takes home about Rs 42 lakh, with future revisions to be done by the pay commissions that are likely to boost this amount by a significant margin.

Reddit Weighs In: The Scientist Is Supported

The post gained much attention on Reddit with the users coming to the scientist's defense. One user mentioned that his new pay compared to his previous Rs 3.6 lakh job must be taken as the real comparison, calling the difference "remarkable" at the age of 22.

Others have claimed that most in the IT sector, with 14–20 years of experience, are uncertain due to fast-paced technological changes and automation threats. The point raised was that constant layoffs are now becoming the new normal, and constant growth in IT is continuously ensured by constant upskilling. A government research job, on the other hand, provides predictability and guarantee.

The Bigger Picture: Perks Beyond Pay

Other Reddit commenters pointed out that compensation by itself is not the whole value of a job. One user explained that the entire package of benefits — from medical care and housing to pension and employment security — makes work as a scientist desirable. Others even discussed how unusual such benefits are in the private sector, where long-term tenure is no longer assured.

Other users were also curious if his friends were judging him due to jealousy or insecurity. They advised him to be cautious of the shift in their attitude since it was from those who were earning much less than him.

In his own reply to the post, the young scientist said that he prioritizes meaningful work and financial security over pursuing numbers. He mentioned requiring sufficient money for occasional overseas vacations with his parents but not at the expense of being satisfied with work or having a work-life balance.

He concurred that his colleagues who are working in IT can receive more pay for a short time, but his present work suits him according to his interest. He also did not plan to move to technical areas such as AI since he did not want to pursue further study.

As a move toward incorporating new-age technology into place-based education, Government Higher Secondary School, Muttam in Nagapattinam district has introduced a smart classroom to enhance fisheries education.

It is one of the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan's Technology Customization Scheme, a scheme "Development of Online Learning Tools at Government Higher Secondary School, Muttam Village for Imparting Fisheries Education." The smart class will enable both online and offline learning with emphasis on general education as well as on fisheries science and engineering-a subject directly of interest to the students from this coastal region.

1. Kesavan, the project's Principal Investigator, underlined how education should be context oriented. "Fisheries is not just a way of living here, but also a sustainable and dynamic profession. Our aim is to give students exposure to contemporary tools linking age-old practices with opportunities of the future," he said.

The program will introduce the students to marine science and fisheries careers, with a combination of classroom education and hands-on application. The education will comprise modules in sustainable fishing, entrepreneurship, and basic conservation of marine ecosystems, among others.

School headmistress Shanthi welcomed the upgrade, anticipating similar digital progress to not only increase enrollment but also drive the students to seek local industry-based employment.

This thoughtful classroom design is part of a larger effort to revamp rural schooling and make it applicable to rural society, especially in fisheries, agriculture, and sun and wind energy. It is also part of the effort to introduce government schools to the age of computers and adopt vocational studies that will give students more than the standard classroom fare.

India’s push toward digital education is reshaping classrooms across the country, from AI-powered Anganwadis to tablet-enabled lessons schools.India’s education system has always been vast and complex, but over the last few years, it’s also become digital. From government platforms to private learning apps, classrooms are being reshaped,not just by policy or pedagogy, but by software and screens. The transformation is uneven. Some areas are innovating rapidly. Others are still trying to ensure a stable internet connection.

The push began with good intentions. Platforms like DIKSHA, SWAYAM, and PM eVidya were launched to centralize learning resources, especially during and after the COVID-19 lockdowns. These platforms provide free digital textbooks, video lectures, and even teacher training materials in regional languages. At the same time, private companies like Byju’s, Vedantu, and Unacademy flooded the market with AI-driven dashboards and gamified learning experiences. In well-connected urban classrooms, students began using tablets instead of notebooks, teachers assigned video modules, and parents tracked progress through apps. For some, this was a leap forward.

But India isn’t just its cities. In rural and remote regions, where electricity is unstable and internet access spotty, digital learning is more of a challenge than a solution. According to the Annual Status of Education Report, only about one-fourth of rural households have consistent access to the internet. In homes with multiple children and one smartphone, students have to take turns learning. And many Anganwadi and government school teachers, especially in tribal belts, are still navigating the basics of digital tools.

This is what makes examples like Nagpur’s recent innovation so striking. In July, the Maharashtra government inaugurated the country’s first AI-powered Anganwadi in Waddhamna village under the “Mission Bal Bharari” scheme. The centre uses artificial intelligence to track individual learning levels, virtual reality headsets to aid concept understanding, and tablets for interactive activities for children aged 3 to 6. It’s a big contrast to the usual chalkboard-and-floor model of early childhood education in rural India. More importantly, the Anganwadi workers here were trained before the launch,a crucial but often overlooked step in making tech work where it’s needed most.

This wasn’t just a one-off project either. The government plans to expand this model to over forty centres across the Hingna and Kamptee blocks of Nagpur district. It’s a sign that with the right planning,hardware, software, and human support ed-tech can be used meaningfully, even in rural settings. Contrast that with earlier attempts like the rollout of the Poshan Tracker app across Maharashtra’s Anganwadis. In that case, many workers were given faulty devices, couldn’t operate the English-only interface, and were even forced to buy new smartphones out of pocket when the official ones didn’t work. The gap between policy and on-ground realities often swallows up the best of intentions.

But it’s not just Nagpur, across Maharashtra, many small but thoughtful shifts are happening. In Gadchiroli, for example, 100 Anganwadis are being converted into ‘Nand Ghars’ modern pre-school centres with e-learning through TVs, digital games, and proper toilets and kitchens. The Majhi E-Shaala initiative in the same district is introducing offline digital learning setups in schools, including smart TVs and projectors with preloaded content. In many of these cases, students themselves are being trained to help peers navigate the digital tools. It’s a simple idea: empower the learner, not just the teacher.

This kind of work isn’t limited to Maharashtra. Across India, the digital shift in education is taking many forms,some ambitious, some improvised, and many deeply local. In Kerala, schools are integrating open-source software like KITE to build smart classrooms without relying on expensive private platforms. Andhra Pradesh is distributing preloaded tablets to government school students through its Jagananna Vidya Kanuka scheme. In Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, where connectivity remains a serious hurdle, teachers are turning to offline apps and community radio. Gujarat’s Gyan Setu program connects students with digital mentors. In Delhi, public schools are experimenting with AI-based diagnostics to better understand learning gaps. Even the central government’s PM SHRI initiative aims to upgrade more than 14,000 schools with smart classrooms, labs, and digital tools. The scale is huge. But the impact still depends on the same few things: thoughtful rollout, consistent support, and fairness in access.

India’s National Education Policy 2020 doesn’t imagine technology as a replacement. It presents it as a bridge, one that can cross language barriers, content shortages, and geographic isolation. But a bridge only works if it’s built on solid ground. If it’s rushed or uneven, it can collapse under its own weight. And when applied without context, technology risks becoming just another layer of inequality.

The story of India’s digital classroom revolution is not a single narrative. It’s a map full of uneven terrain. There are pockets of brilliance, where tech is being used to amplify learning and include the previously excluded. There are also plenty of places where screens have replaced substance, or where grand announcements have not translated into working devices. What matters now is how the country moves forward whether we continue treating ed-tech as a product to distribute, or as a system to design with care. If the goal is real learning, not just digital access, then the work is only beginning.

Following in the footsteps of pushing the government education towards modernization, Telangana's education department made the development official that AI labs will be installed in all government schools within the Khammam district. The news was revealed by Education Secretary Dr. Yogita Rana during an surprise visit to the Government Primary School in NSP Colony on Thursday.

Dr. Rana visited the functioning school along with Director of School Education, Dr. E. Naveen Nicolas, to take a closer look at AI lab already functioning on the campus. She was impressed with AI being utilized in teaching in the classrooms and highlighted the revolutionary character of the technology in public education.

"AI will make teaching and learning easier, and dramatically enhance the quality of education being delivered through government schools," Dr. Rana informed the media. She pointed out that AI-driven tools and platforms would empower teachers with smart, intuitive tools that offer interactive and personalized learning.

The plan is likely to be in accordance with the state's entire digital education master plan with an aim towards empowering rural and semi-urban students with 21st-century skills. By making use of AI in traditional teaching of the run-of-the-mill curriculum, the department is trying to make students more involved, inclined towards thinking critically, and inclined towards technology from early age.

The move follows as the adoption of AI in the education sector is gaining pace all over India, especially in the aftermath of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 aimed at tech-enabled, skills-oriented learning spaces.

Department officials clarified that the AI laboratory model implemented at NSP Colony would be a pilot for others in the district. Scaling up facilities will be carried out in phases, and teacher training and ancillary infrastructure provided in each phase.

This is a giant leap for Telangana online education, especially for government schools, which have been taken hostage by thin budgets and antiquated teaching aids.