Education Technology | Innovations and Insights - Edinbox

In an attempt to begin mainstream school education's use of artificial intelligence, edtech pioneer Extramarks has started launching its AI-powered learning suite, Extra Intelligence, among its network of partner schools.

Positioning itself as the first Indian education company to integrate AI substantively through the whole learning ecosystem — ranging from classroom delivery to after-school support — Extramarks is making this launch a quantum leap towards personalized, accessible, and future-ready learning.

This is not just about automation, says Extramarks CEO and Managing Director Ritvik Kulshrestha. "We are raising pedagogy, making students' outcomes better, and delivering high-quality learning to the remotest parts of the country.".

Embedded at the core of Extra Intelligence is the Teacher Assistant, which is a solution aimed at assisting teachers by allowing them to personalize online lessons to suit their own teaching patterns. Teachers can add real-world references, add bespoke examples, and transform concepts into interactive, interesting content — all due to AI.

Another forte of the suite is its AI-driven assessment engine, which aims to infuse a degree of modernization in traditional evaluations. Teachers can create pen-and-paper-based, cheat-proof tests, while the system grades students' handwritten submissions — long-form subjective answers included — with speed and accuracy.

This release is a growing mainstream move in India's K-12 edtech sector, where AI is no longer reserved for back-end processing or pilot add-ons. Instead, it's becoming more and more a core driver of adaptive learning content delivery, preventing teacher burnout, and ensuring stable student support.

While the firm is not disclosing the number of schools currently enrolled, preliminary results from test schools indicate towards increased lesson planning efficiency and reduced grading time.

In a world where fears of AI replacing the human aspect in education persist, Extramarks appears to be walking a tightrope — using technology to complement, not replace, the teacher. The suite's philosophy, as Kulshrestha puts it, is to "empower the educator, not sideline them.".

As AI continues to redefine the future of education, breakthroughs like Extra Intelligence might just redefine Indian education for its future generations — not just to learn, but to think smart in an AI world.

With technology and science having leaped to a phase of rapid enhancement and breakthrough in the modern world, a rising India has not been one to merely dream about it: rather, the nation has always been persuaded to bridge gaps between its diverse people on a level playing field. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) to bring the country's education system in line with the quick-evolving technological advancements, has introduced the SOAR (Skilling for AI Readiness) Programme- a nationwide initiative that aims to promote and solidify the concept of 'AI Literacy' among Class 6-12 students and educators. The program has been drafted for creating an AI-safe future for young India and thus nurturing critical thinking and analysis. This not only engages them in eradicating the digital divide but also works hand in hand for the 'Viksit Bharat 2047' vision through reflective learning.

Released in 2025, SOAR is not yet another syllabus revision- it is a groundbreaking attempt to mainstream AI education in the overall curriculum. The syllabus, with a focus on interactive and project-based learning for fostering creativity, critical thinking, and ethical sensitivity in AI usage, has been designed for state board students, CBSE, and Kendriya Vidyalaya schools.

Why SOAR, why now?

India's tech industry, already the global platform of scientific marvels and technical procedures, is undergoing an earthquake shift as AI is battling bravely in industries – from healthcare and farming to education and finance. However, the most substantial concern is the gap in skill sets. As per one report, by 2030, more than half of India's workforce will need to learn more about AI and digital technology.

With the advent of AI learning, SOAR will establish a solid foundation with students, making them more than mere passive users but active creators of and contributors to digital content.

What is SOAR all about?

For the purpose of providing students with a hands-on and experiential education, SOAR introduces them to basic AI concepts like machine learning, natural language processing and neural networks through storytelling, gamified modules and case studies. On an expert level, there would be hands-on practice in coding, data analysis and even chatbot development through interactive workshops. Above all, it acquaints the students with ethical considerations – not just do they study how AI works, but how it needs to be utilized for the betterment of oneself and the nation. Hence, the formation of AI clubs and labs is the need of the times.

The program consists of three modules of 15 hours each, i.e., AI to be Aware, AI to Acquire, and AI to Aspire for students. 'AI for Educators', a professional learning module of 45 hours, has been created in order to equip educators with the knowledge and skills that are required for leading students through their AI learning experience.

MSDE has secured funding amounting to a whopping $14.4 million in a Skill Impact Bond (SIB) which is an evidence-based training funding mechanism established with the responsibility of driving multi-stakeholder uptake and measurable outcomes.

With SOAR, came 'KaushalVerse', Government of India business digital portal which makes education, testing and communication skills-based easy. Students from all institutes and locations will have access to free study material and test their own improvements, making SOAR more robust in the bargain.

The Skill India, coupled with 'Viksit Bharat 2047', brings hope in transforming India as a technologically based nation in the coming future, with the SOAR positioning the Indian youth as the focal point of the world's future innovations and extensions.

SOAR has also been piloted in over 10,000 schools across the country and is already seeing plain positive results with students having a keen interest in studying AI. The government would like to roll this out to other schools in the nation by 2027.

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.