THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 20, 2026

 ‘ShikshaNext’, a bold multi-donor and multi-year initiative designed to improve learning outcomes for children from underserved communities through the strategic use of EdTech and Artificial Intelligence, was formally launched on Wednesday. The three-year ₹170-crore programme was unveiled in the presence of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and Union Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.

The initiative seeks to enable more than 13 million children across India to gain access to meaningful, technology- and AI-enabled learning opportunities by 2029, with a strong emphasis on equity, scalability, and measurable academic improvement.

ShikshaNext is supported by a coalition of leading philanthropic organisations and ecosystem partners committed to strengthening learning outcomes through technology. It is anchored by Reliance Foundation and the Gates Foundation as Founding Strategic Partners, with Central Square Foundation serving as the Managing Partner, and is also funded by Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. By combining catalytic philanthropy with deep technical and pedagogical expertise, the initiative aims to create a shared execution-focused platform capable of delivering impact at scale.

Delivering the keynote address at the launch, Dharmendra Pradhan outlined the pathway towards a Viksit Bharat 2047, underscoring the transformative role of technology and AI in enhancing education quality, empowering teachers, and preparing young people for the future of work. Speaking on the occasion, he said, “This is an important platform where Sarkar, Samaaj aur Sanstha have come together to make EdTech truly Sabka EdTech. The next step is to turn this into a Jan Andolan that ensures technology benefits every learner. India will present a model to the Global South that makes quality EdTech affordable and accessible for all.”

ShikshaNext will operate through three interconnected programmes designed to address different layers of the education ecosystem. EdTech ScaleX will focus on expanding proven EdTech and AI solutions that have already demonstrated measurable learning gains, enabling their integration into state education systems and community-led learning initiatives. The EdTech Accelerator will support the development and growth of high-quality EdTech and AI tools tailored to India’s diverse classroom realities. Complementing these efforts, the EdTech & AI Innovation Hub will serve as a collaborative platform to discover, test, and validate emerging solutions, with a particular focus on India-centric applications across languages, grades, and varied learning contexts.

All three programmes will be underpinned by a strong commitment to rigorous evidence generation, ensuring that insights on what works, for whom, and under what conditions guide decisions on how technology is integrated into education systems. This evidence-led approach is expected to help move the sector beyond pilot projects towards sustainable, system-wide adoption.

Partners expressed strong optimism about the initiative’s potential to scale proven solutions and deliver measurable learning gains.

 “Students catch up and move ahead when learning adapts to their needs. Personalised, technology-enabled tools can make that possible at scale. Entering the AI era, India is building on a decade of education reforms, stronger early learning, and tools that already deliver results in classrooms. ShikshaNext takes the next step by backing proven solutions and helping public school systems use them widely, so more children succeed in school and beyond,” said Prachi Jain Windlass, Head of India, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, India.

 “Reliance Foundation’s vision is simple yet profound – that every child in India should have the opportunity to fulfil their potential and realise their dreams. The rapid expansion of digital connectivity and 5G over the past decade has unlocked unprecedented possibilities to deliver quality education to every corner of our country. We have seen that when philanthropy, government, educators, and innovators come together with shared purpose, technology in education moves beyond promising pilots to achieving measurable learning outcomes at scale. ShikshaNext represents the next step in this journey – a collaborative platform to generate rigorous evidence, strengthen partnerships, and harness the power of AI responsibly and inclusively. Our commitment is to ensure that the next generation of AI-enabled solutions is not only innovative, but equitable – designed to serve every child, everywhere, and to truly transform India’s educational future,” said B Srinivasan, Executive Lead, Reliance Foundation.

 “When EdTech is rooted in strong pedagogy and evidence, we now know it can drive real learning gains at scale; as generative AI adds fresh momentum, initiatives like ShikshaNext can channel catalytic funding and partnerships to ensure these technologies are designed for low-resource classrooms and guided by sound teaching principles, not just technological possibility,” said Benjamin Piper, Director, Global Education at the Gates Foundation.

 “As we look to the future of learning in Bharat, Central Square Foundation’s focus is on making technology work for the children who need it most; with ShikshaNext, CSF is bringing together committed partners, rigorous evidence, and learning-focused capital so that EdTech and AI translate into real, measurable gains in classrooms, not just promises on paper,” said Ishmeet Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Central Square Foundation.

The launch event brought together senior officials from the Ministry of Education, representatives from leading philanthropic organisations, EdTech innovators, educators, and sector partners from across the country, signalling a collective commitment to harnessing AI and digital technologies to strengthen foundational learning and improve educational outcomes for every child in India.