Hazardous grille work across Mohali derails road safetyWith little to no barricading, caution signage or reflective warnings in place at many points, commuters said navigating these stretches, especially after dark, has become risky Published on: Apr 21, 2026 7:44 AM IST By Sheetal
The Government of India has withdrawn its plan to pre-install the Aadhaar app on smartphones. This decision has been confirmed by the UIDAI, making it clear that users will now have to download the app themselves. This proposal first came up for discussion earlier this year; however
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma rejected pleas for her recusal from the Delhi liquor-policy case. She stated litigants cannot judge judges without material. Kejriwal and others sought her withdrawal citing previous rulings and perceived bias. The judge asserted her impartiality and commitment to
Silver offerings at Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine are not pure silver. Assayers found offerings contained only 5-6% silver, with the rest being toxic cadmium and iron. This discovery has raised alarm bells. The contaminated metal is worth significantly less than expected
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max tipped in new Dark Cherry shade: Specs, price leaksiPhone 18 Pro Max leaks hint at a bold new look, refined design tweaks, and major performance upgrades, Apple’s next flagship is already making headlines. Updated on: Apr 20
AI tutors are inevitable. Adoption is easy—getting it right isn’t
AI tutors are inevitable. Adoption is easy—getting it right isn’t Premium
I have spent the last few years shipping with AI every day. Coding assistants, automated reviews, and models that explain unfamiliar codebases better than most documentation. Once you've seen how quickly a good enough model becomes a dependable one, you stop asking whether students will use AI and start asking what happens when they can't imagine learning without it.
In India, the AI learning partner won't arrive as a futuristic gadget. It will arrive as a chat interface on the cheapest smartphone, in regional languages, running even on patchy networks. It will remember where you struggled, generate practice instantly, and explain the same concept in five different ways without judgement. That combination of ubiquity, memory, and infinite patience makes adoption inevitable.
One, personalised tutoring becomes scalable. The most unfair advantage today isn't a better textbook. It's sustained one-on-one attention. An AI partner can approximate that at near-zero marginal cost. Diagnose gaps, adjust pace, and keep practice targeted. If deployed well, it can reduce the learning lag that quietly compounds year after year.
Two, classrooms shift from content delivery to coaching. When routine drills, revision, and instant feedback are handled, teachers can spend time where humans matter most. Discussion, curiosity, critical thinking, group work, and emotional support. Teachers don't become optional. Their role becomes higher leverage.
Three, learning can move from syllabus coverage to mastery. AI systems can track competencies at a granular level and nudge students toward “you can actually do this”, not “you've seen this once”. But only if the system is designed responsibly.
Because the challenges are real. If we ignore them, AI will widen inequality, erode trust, and turn learning into a shortcut culture. Here are six challenges India must confront early, along with practical moves.
1. Access and the new digital divide
AI partners will not land evenly. Better devices, better connectivity, and better English will translate into better learning outcomes. The risk is a tutoring divide where the wealthy get an always-on coach, and everyone else gets a degraded version.
What to do: treat access like education infrastructure. Design for low bandwidth, offline first usage, and shared devices in schools. Fund device libraries at the school level. Measure equity explicitly. If gains show up only in top-performing schools, the policy is failing.
2. Language, local context, and curriculum alignment
India is not one syllabus. It's hundreds of boards and local contexts that make examples meaningful. A generic assistant may speak a language, yet teach with metaphors that don't land. Worse, it can drift from what the student is actually being assessed on.
What to do: build for localisation, not translation. Constrain the tutor to vetted, curriculum-aligned content packs per board and grade, with regionally relevant examples. Encourage open educational resources and Indian language datasets so quality isn't locked inside a few vendors.
3. Hallucinations, accuracy, and the trust problem
Models can be confidently wrong. In software, you can run tests. In education, a subtle error becomes a misconception that survives for years. If teachers and parents don't trust the tool, adoption becomes shallow or chaotic.
What to do: demand verifiability. The AI partner should show steps, cite approved sources, and flag uncertainty instead of guessing. Maths and Science, require worked solutions and self-checks. Create teacher feedback loops so errors are corrected and the system improves rather than repeating the same mistake at scale.
4. Cheating, over-reliance, and the erosion of learning
If an AI can write an essay, solve problems, or produce a project in seconds, traditional homework stops measuring understanding. The bigger risk isn't cheating. It's cognitive atrophy. Students are outsourcing thinking and never building mental models.
What to do: redesign the assessment. Increase in class reasoning, oral vivas, open-book problem solving, and projects that require iteration and reflection. Teach AI literacy directly. How to verify, how to ask better questions, how to use AI as a coach using hints, feedback, and alternative explanations rather than as an answer machine.
5. Privacy, child safety, and data governance
A learning partner is intimate. It sees doubts, mistakes, and behavioural patterns. That data can be abused for profiling, targeted advertising, or long-term surveillance. Children also need strong guardrails against unsafe content and manipulative interactions.
What to do: adopt child first defaults. Minimise data collection, encrypt by default, and avoid retaining raw chats unnecessarily. Prohibit advertising. Require safety filters, clear parental and teacher controls, and transparent escalation paths when the system detects distress, with human involvement and consent.
6. Teachers, incentives, and institutional change
The hardest part won't be the model. It will be implemented. Tools fail when they are bolted onto an overburdened system. If teachers aren't trained, or if incentives still reward syllabus completion over learning outcomes, AI becomes yet another layer of noise.
What to do: invest in teacher enablement like its core policy, not a workshop. Give teachers co-pilot controls for lesson planning, differentiated worksheets, formative assessments, and dashboards that highlight who needs help. Update incentives and evaluation to reward learning gains. Involve teachers in procurement and pilots. Imposed tools rarely stick.
The bottom line is simple. AI learning partners are coming because they solve a brutal scalability problem. Personalised attention. On a cost curve that keeps falling. India should embrace that inevitability, but with governance and design that protect equity and trust.
The winners won't be the schools that adopt AI fastest. They'll be the ones that build a curriculum-aligned, privacy-respecting, teacher-augmenting system that helps students think, not just produce answers.
If we get it right, the average Indian student won't merely access information. They'll access understanding. That is the real redefinition.
(Aravind Putrevu is the Director Of Developer Marketing, Coderabbit.)
(Sign up for THEdge, The Hindu's weekly education newsletter.)
Published - December 19, 2025 07:35 pm IST
education / teaching and learning / Artificial Intelligence
Source: TheHindu
Related Posts: 5 free money management apps that actually helped me track every rupee spent Regret Every Minute Spent With Him U.S. courts stay deportation of Indian-origin man who spent 43 years in prison before murder case overturned Bengaluru man finds Rapido rider learning coding mid ride Elon Musk says AI has taken hard work out of coding All about OpenAI's new agentic coding model GPT‑5 Should coding be mandatory learning in schools Coding as literacy Google AI Studio’s ‘Vibe Coding’ makes building with AI effortless Google Hires Indian-Origin Varun Mohan To Double Down On AI Coding
Akshay Kumar says Dhurandhar is a very well-knit, beautifully made film: ‘Kabhi mauka milega aise cinema mein…’Akshay Kumar showered praise on Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar and shared that the film really digs deep into answering so many questions about the country. Apr 21, 2026
1 hours ago
Meta has officially started testing an optional premium subscription tier called WhatsApp Plus, which offers users the option of adding custom app icons, exclusive ringtones, and other customisations. As per a report by WABetaInfo, the WhatsApp subscription plan is currently rolling out to a
1 hours ago
Sugar-free products with sugar. ‘Real’ juices with artificial ingredients. Misleading food ads are fuelling a public health crisis in India. Help Scroll expose the systemic failure. Support our investigation.Sugar-free products with sugar. ‘Real’ juices with artificial ingredients
1 hours ago
The Trump administration has begun processing refunds for billions of dollars in tariffs that the US Supreme Court struck down in February. In what is to be the biggest repayment programme in history, companies can apply online for money they were charged under the so-called "Liberation Day"
1 hours ago
Mumbai’s local train network is often called the lifeline of the city, carrying millions of commuters every day across the Central Railway, Western Railway, and Harbour lines. Despite the expansion of the metro network, overcrowding in local trains continues to remain a major concern for daily
1 hours ago
Mumbai Indians achieved a commanding 99-run win against Gujarat Titans. Tilak Varma scored his first IPL century, setting a strong total. Mumbai's bowlers then dismantled Gujarat's batting lineup. Gujarat faced early wickets and struggled to build partnerships
1 hours ago
Iraq's main Shi'ite political blocs have nominated Bassem al-Badry for prime minister. However, some officials dispute this selection, stating that discussions are ongoing. Another meeting is scheduled for Wednesday. This follows the withdrawal of Nouri al-Maliki
1 hours ago
People are talking about John Ternus’ LinkedIn profile as he prepares to take over from Tim Cook as Apple CEOJohn Ternus is set to become Apple's CEO, and Tim Cook will take up the role of Apple Executive Chairman. Published on: Apr 21, 2026 7:53 AM IST By Trisha Sengupta Share via Copy link The
1 hours ago
Sunrisers Hyderabad host Delhi Capitals at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday, 21 April, at 7:30 PM IST in Match 31 of IPL 2026. Hyderabad and Delhi are sitting close in the points table. The Sunrisers have won 3 and lost 3 in their 6 matches. With 6 points
1 hours ago
Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) has further strengthened its compact SUV portfolio with the introduction of the new Venue Knight Edition, bringing in a bolder and more aggressive styling package along with feature enhancements. This special edition continues to build on the strong popularity of
1 hours ago
Carlos Alcaraz may skip French Open rather than rush injury comebackFrench Open champion Carlos Alcaraz said he would rather miss defending his Roland Garros title than rush treatment. Updated on: Apr 21, 2026 7:39 AM IST AFP Share via Copy link French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz insisted on
1 hours ago
On a sticky morning in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, Koustav Bagchi moves from door to door in a crisp white and red traditional attire, a fish in hand. Drums thud behind him as supporters chant his name. A lawyer-turned-politician and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s candidate from
1 hours ago
Setback for Kejriwal after Delhi HC judge Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma refuses to recuse in excise policy caseIn a judgment delivered over more than an hour, justice Sharma observed that a mere apprehension of not receiving relief cannot justify recusal. Published on: Apr 21
1 hours ago
'Who hasn't admired Tom Brady?' 2026 draft darling Fernando Mendoza eyes GOAT mentorshipMendoza sees Tom Brady as a mentor, attributing his discipline to Brady's influence, ahead of the upcoming NFL draft. Published on: Apr 21, 2026 5:28 AM IST By HT Global Sports Desk Share via Copy link Fernando
1 hours ago
US musician D4vd has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder in the death of a teenage girl who vanished last year. The star, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, is accused of murdering 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose decomposing remains were found in September in a
1 hours ago
From anguish on Saturday evening to some sort of relief on Monday. It has been a trying season for Tottenham fans but after seeing their side concede a late equaliser at home to Brighton, they can at least taken some comfort from West Ham's failure to take full advantage at Crystal Palace
1 hours ago
Iran signals ‘new cards’ on battlefield ahead of peace talks with US, says ‘no negotiations under shadow of threats’US Vice President JD Vance has not departed for Pakistan for talks with Iran, Reuters reported, citing a source familiar with the matter. Updated on: Apr 21
1 hours ago
Odisha Chief Electoral Officer RS Gopalan on Monday directed electoral registration officers to verify the voter details “properly” before deleting names from the electoral rolls, PTI reported. This came amid allegations of “wrongful deletion” of around 9
1 hours ago
Mumbai, Apr 20 (PTI) Noting that Artificial Intelligence is reshaping journalism, Principal Secretary (Information and Publicity), Maharashtra, Brijesh Singh said on Monday that women scribes should treat this technological shift as an opportunity to become more tech-savvy and drive positive change
1 hours ago
Editorial independence is core to our work. Some links may earn us a commission, without influencing our opinions.Samsung Galaxy A57 review: A well-rounded premium mid-ranger with AI smartsThe Samsung Galaxy A57 is a well rounded premium mid-ranger that strives to be more. Published on: Apr 20
1 hours ago
Apple has named John Ternus as its new chief executive to replace Tim Cook who is stepping down after 15 years of leading the technology giant. Ternus, currently the head of hardware engineering who has been at Apple for 25 years, will take over on 1 September and Cook will become executive
1 hours ago
Love Horoscope Today for April 21, 2026: This is a good time to share your feelings without overthinkingLove Horoscope Today: Find daily astrological predictions for all sun signs. Published on: Apr 21, 2026 7:30 AM IST By Kishori Sud Share via Copy link Aries Horoscope Today Love Energy:
1 hours ago
Large swathes of North and Central India are likely to continue experiencing heat wave conditions in the coming few days, while Northeast India is forecast to receive heavy to very heavy rains accompanied by thunderstorm activities and gusty winds, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD)
1 hours ago
Indian Premier League teams are asking the government to reclassify match tickets. They want IPL games treated as sports, not entertainment. This could cut the goods and services tax on tickets significantly. The current 40% tax is seen as too high for sporting events
1 hours ago
As West Bengal gears up for elections, authorities have identified more than 8,000 polling booths deemed sensitive. In a proactive approach to maintain order, police have arrested 135 individuals. To bolster security, an innovative AI system is overseeing the voting process
1 hours ago
Assam HS Result 2026: Where, how to check AHSEC 12th results when announcedAssam HS Result 2026 will be announced on the official websites. Know where, how to check AHSEC 12th results when announced. Updated on: Apr 20, 2026 10:50 AM IST By HT Education Desk | Edited by Papri Chanda Share via Copy
1 hours ago
‘I cried due to a manchild’: Employee praises manager for taking action against a toxic teammateIn a Reddit post, an employee labelled their manager as “one of the best human beings” they have ever met. Published on: Apr 21, 2026 7:03 AM IST By Trisha Sengupta Share via Copy link A Reddit
1 hours ago
