The selection brings together EdTech supply, evidence generation and government demand under one platform, with the initiative aiming to move evidence-backed and emerging EdTech and AI solutions closer to classrooms and state government systems by 2029.
ShikshaNext is anchored by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Reliance Foundation and Gates Foundation as Founding Strategic Partners, with Central Square Foundation as the Managing Partner. Anthropic is supporting the initiative as a Supporting Partner.
The initiative operates through three interconnected pillars addressing different stages of the EdTech innovation pipeline. EdTech ScaleX focuses on improving learning outcomes at scale by taking proven solutions into government systems and enabling effective adoption. The EdTech Accelerator strengthens the pipeline of promising solutions as they are built, tested and refined. The EdTech and AI Innovation Hub focuses on unsolved problem statements that could shape the next generation of technology and AI-led education solutions.
A sustained commitment to rigorous evidence generation underpins all three pillars. This includes establishing proof that a solution works, assessing how it performs within real government systems, understanding what makes implementation effective for students, parents and teachers, and determining what is required to translate promising solutions into sustained impact at scale.
Five solutions serving children in the 4-10 age group have been selected under EdTech ScaleX.
Chimple by Sutara Learning is a teacher-directed, at-home gamified mobile learning solution validated by a randomised controlled trial (RCT) conducted by Prof. Kartini Shastry of Wellesley College and Prof. Sheetal Sekhri of the University of Virginia in 2024.
Rocket Learning is a playful, WhatsApp-based home-learning solution validated by a J-PAL RCT in 2023.
Top Parent by Nudged is a pan-India, parent-facing solution for at-home learning, validated through a quasi-experimental study under the guidance of Prof. Tarun Jain of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad in 2026.
Prakashak by ThinkZone is a WhatsApp-based at-home learning programme validated through a quasi-experimental study under the guidance of Prof. Tarun Jain of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad in 2026.
Youth Impact is a phone-based remedial Math learning solution validated through a five-country RCT by Dr Noam Angrist et al. in 2025.
Through these five solutions, EdTech ScaleX will aim to improve learning outcomes at scale by targeting more than 8 million students.
The EdTech Accelerator has selected six solutions, also serving children in the 4-10 age group.
Darsel is a 1:1 personalised WhatsApp chatbot for at-home math practice. Eedi is an AI-native, WhatsApp-based Socratic personal tutor focused on at-home math remediation.
TARA ORF by Prosical Language Technologies focuses on Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) assessment, analysis and student remediation at home.
PadhAI by Pratham Education Foundation provides offline ORF assessment, analysis and student remediation at home.
Vowels of the People Association (VOPA) works on ORF assessment, analysis and student remediation for both literacy and numeracy skills at home.
VallamAI by Madhi Foundation is an AI-powered teacher-support tool designed for assessments, coaching and lesson planning.
Through the EdTech Accelerator, the six solutions will work on building the evidence and capabilities required to translate promising innovations into solutions that can ultimately scale.
Ishmeet Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Central Square Foundation, said the selection of the 11 solutions marked the point at which ShikshaNext’s ambition would begin moving into execution.
“Selecting these 11 solutions is where ShikshaNext's ambition starts to become tangible. Five of them are already backed by independent evidence and are ready to work with governments at scale; the other six are building the next generation of AI-enabled solutions for India's classrooms. Bringing proven, scale-ready solutions together with emerging AI innovations and generating the evidence needed to move both forward is what makes this more than a portfolio of grants. It is a pathway designed to help early stage innovations to travel to institutional state adoption and integration into the governance mechanism,” Singh said.
Prachi Jain Windlass, Head of India, The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, said technology matters when it contributes to better learning outcomes and creates pathways to future opportunity.
“Technology matters when it helps children learn better and opens pathways to future opportunity. Used effectively, technology and data can help educators understand student progress and act quickly when additional support is needed. ShikshaNext brings evidence, innovation, and government adoption together so proven EdTech can benefit more children, while the next generation of AI-enabled solutions is tested and strengthened responsibly,” she said.
B Srinivasan, Executive Lead, Reliance Foundation, said the foundation’s vision is that every child in India should have the opportunity to fulfil their potential and realise their dreams.
“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,” Srinivasan said.
Benjamin Piper, Director, Global Education, Gates Foundation, said the EdTech Accelerator solutions reflect the potential of generative AI in education when it strengthens rather than replaces pedagogy.
“The EdTech Accelerator solutions in particular reflect where we think the real opportunity with generative AI lies - not replacing good pedagogy, but strengthening it, in tools built specifically for low-resource classrooms. Pairing that work with ScaleX's evidence-backed solutions gives ShikshaNext a pipeline that spans from what we know works today to what could work tomorrow,” Piper said.
ShikshaNext is a three-year, Rs 170-crore multi-donor initiative aimed at improving learning outcomes for children across India by leveraging EdTech and AI. Anchored by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Reliance Foundation and the Gates Foundation as Founding Strategic Partners, supported by Anthropic as Supporting Partner and led by Central Square Foundation as Managing Partner, ShikshaNext aims to enable more than 13 million children to access meaningful, technology- and AI-enabled learning opportunities by 2029. The initiative operates across three pillars — EdTech ScaleX, the EdTech Accelerator, and the EdTech & AI Innovation Hub — underpinned by a sustained commitment to evidence generation.
Founded in 2012, Central Square Foundation (CSF) is a non-profit committed to improving learning outcomes for school-going children across 14 Indian states through system-led reform. CSF works in close partnership with 11 state governments to design and deliver statewide missions on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN), while strengthening Early Childhood Education. CSF also focuses on building a vibrant EdTech and AI ecosystem to enable equitable, high-quality learning at scale. More information is available at www.centralsquarefoundation.org.
The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation builds pathways that change lives for people and communities around the world. Through their philanthropy, Michael and Susan Dell have committed more than €10 billion to improve education, health, and economic mobility, with a focus on delivering measurable, long-term impact. These efforts reflect a belief that lasting change comes from investing in people and in the potential of every child. More information is available at www.dell.org, and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation can be followed on LinkedIn.
Reliance Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Reliance Industries Limited, aims to play a catalytic role in addressing India's development challenges through innovative and sustainable solutions. Led by Mrs Nita M Ambani, Founder and Chairperson, Reliance Foundation works across rural transformation, education, health, sports for development, disaster management, women empowerment, urban renewal, and arts, culture and heritage, and has touched the lives of over 88 million people across India. More information is available at www.reliancefoundation.org.
The Gates Foundation is a global philanthropy working to reduce poverty, tackle preventable disease, and expand opportunity so more people can lead healthy, productive lives. Education is a core pillar of its work, with a Global Education Program focused on improving foundational reading and math for children in India and sub-Saharan Africa. More information is available at www.gatesfoundation.org.
The selection of 11 EdTech and AI solutions across ScaleX and the Accelerator establishes the next phase of ShikshaNext’s three-year programme, combining evidence-backed solutions positioned for government adoption with emerging innovations that will continue to be tested and strengthened.
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