How One Engineer is Bringing AI in Education to Life in India's Classrooms

There's something special about talking to someone who's actually doing the work instead of just talking about it. That's exactly how I felt sitting down with Nikita, who started Edugenx after realizing that her own engineering education had some serious gaps.

AI in education sounds like one of those buzzwords people throw around at conferences, right? But when you hear Nikita explain why she built her company, it clicks. She wasn't chasing a trend—she was solving a problem she lived through herself.

Why Traditional Learning Falls Short

Picture this: you're an engineering student studying robotics. You'd think that would mean tons of hands-on work, building things, testing ideas. But Nikita found herself stuck with textbooks and lectures that didn't really prepare her for actual work.

"Even being an engineer and being into a syllabus of engineering, we were not exposed to something which we could do on hand," she explained. The information was there, sure. But exposure? That real understanding that comes from actually doing something? Missing.

That gap bothered her enough that she decided to fix it—not just for herself, but for the next generation of students coming up behind her.

What Edugenx Actually Does

So Nikita founded Edugenx, which is bringing AI in education to schools across India in a way that actually makes sense. They're setting up what she calls "smart classrooms," but it's way more interesting than it sounds.

First off, there are these AI-powered dashboards for teachers. Think of them as really smart assistants that track attendance and analyze how each kid is doing. Not in a creepy Big Brother way—more like giving teachers superpowers to spot when a student needs extra help before they fall too far behind.

But here's the part that really caught my attention. They give students actual hardware to work with. Sensors, IoT devices, robotics kits. Real stuff they can touch, break (hopefully not too often), and rebuild. Because watching a YouTube video about how a temperature sensor works is completely different from holding one in your hand and figuring out how to make it do what you want.

The Technology Behind Smart Classrooms

Edugenx built their platform with a few core pieces that work together. They've got AI-powered smartboards that get customized for each school—because a school in Mumbai has different needs than one in a rural area. Makes sense, right?

There's an e-library giving kids access to way more resources than any physical library could hold. And they're rolling out mixed reality experiences. Not just VR goggles that make you dizzy—proper mixed reality where you can interact with 3D objects and really explore what you're learning.

The attendance and performance analytics go deeper than "Johnny showed up today." They're using predictive analysis to understand patterns. Like, if a student always struggles after missing Friday classes, the system flags that. Teachers can actually do something with that information.

Studies on educational technology show that when you combine personalized learning with hands-on experience, student engagement shoots up. Retention improves. Test scores get better, yeah, but more importantly, kids actually understand the material instead of just memorizing it for exams.

Real Schools, Real Results

Here's what impressed me most: this isn't some pilot program or proof-of-concept. Edugenx has already put their smart classroom tech in 77 schools. Seventy-seven actual schools where teachers are using these tools every single day and kids are learning with robots and sensors.

And Nikita's not satisfied stopping there. She mentioned plans to expand into Dubai, maybe Europe down the line. The UAE is pouring money into educational innovation for their 2030 vision, which lines up perfectly with what Edugenx offers.

How They Got Schools on Board

I was curious how they actually sold this to schools. Turns out, Nikita's background as a data scientist gave her an edge. She could walk into a principal's office with solid data showing exactly what schools needed and how Edugenx could deliver it.

They trained their sales team to use AI tools (meta, I know) to find and connect with school administrators on LinkedIn. Set targets, hit them, closed deals. Simple strategy, but it worked.

Timing helped too. India recently made it mandatory for schools to incorporate robotics and AI in education. So demand was already there—the challenge was more about pricing and making it financially realistic for schools that don't have huge budgets.

"The problems that we faced were more on the financial part," Nikita admitted. In India, schools want quality but they also need affordability. So Edugenx had to figure out how to deliver cutting-edge AI in education without pricing themselves out of the market.

A Second Act: Bringing AI to Farming

Just when I thought Nikita had enough on her plate revolutionizing education, she mentioned her new agritech company. Because apparently when you're good at solving problems, you can't help yourself.

India's facing a real crisis with farming. Young people don't want to be farmers anymore—they're moving into tech jobs. Can't really blame them. But that leaves fewer people growing food, and the farmers who remain are working incredibly hard with outdated methods.

Nikita's solution? AI-powered drones and IoT sensors for farming. The drones can handle crop seeding, monitor plant health, analyze soil conditions. Computer vision maps the fields. Temperature sensors provide real-time data so farmers can make smarter decisions about when to water, when to fertilize, all of that.

"Nobody wants to do hard work when you are in the AI era," she said, laughing. And honestly, she's right. Why shouldn't farmers have access to the same technology that's transforming every other industry?

Research on precision agriculture shows that farms using drone technology and sensor networks can boost yields by 15-20% while cutting water usage significantly. That's not just good for farmers' bottom lines—it's crucial for food security as populations keep growing.

The Big Vision

Let's talk about ambition for a second. Edugenx is currently doing about 20 crores in Indian rupees per year—roughly $20,000 USD. They've only been at this for about 18 months.

When I asked Nikita about her goals, she didn't hesitate: "My vision is to take the company to maybe a billion dollars."

A billion. From twenty thousand.

Is that crazy ambitious? Absolutely. Is it impossible? I don't think so. The global market for AI in education is exploding. Every country wants better educational outcomes. And if Edugenx can scale what they're doing in India to other markets, that billion-dollar target starts looking more realistic.

The challenges are real, though. Different countries have different regulations around education, data privacy, all of that. Deployment takes time because you can't just copy-paste what works in India into Dubai or Germany. Each market needs its own approach.

But Nikita seems pretty unfazed by all that. Dubai's tax-friendly environment makes it an obvious next step. The UAE is actively looking for companies doing exactly what Edugenx does. Sometimes timing really is everything.

Why This Actually Matters

Here's what gets me excited about all of this. We're not talking about making education look more modern for the sake of appearances. This is about fundamentally changing how kids learn.

When students can build things, test ideas, see immediate results—learning stops being this thing they have to force themselves through. It becomes natural. Interesting. Even fun.

And for teachers, having real data changes everything. Instead of guessing which students need help, they know. Instead of teaching to some mythical "average student" that doesn't exist, they can personalize their approach for actual humans in their classroom.

The World Economic Forum published research showing that AI in education is transforming learning outcomes, especially in developing markets where traditional infrastructure has been a barrier. What Nikita's building isn't just nice-to-have—it's essential for preparing students for a world where AI is everywhere.

Starting Your Own Journey with Modern Education

If you're reading this as an educator, school administrator, or parent, you might be wondering how to actually bring this kind of innovation to your school. Good news: it's more accessible than you think.

The key is finding partners who understand that technology should serve education goals, not the other way around. Start with the problems your students and teachers face. Then look for tech that solves those specific problems—not just whatever sounds impressive in a sales pitch.

Whether you're interested in AI-powered classrooms, hands-on robotics programs, or just trying to understand what's possible with modern educational technology, the most important step is the first one. You don't need to transform everything overnight. Small steps in the right direction add up.

Let's Make This Happen

Look, I get it. Reading about innovative education technology and actually implementing it are two completely different things. Change is hard, especially in education where you're responsible for kids' futures.

But the schools making these changes aren't special or magic. They just decided to start somewhere.

If you're curious about how AI in education and smart classroom technology could work for your school or organization, let's talk about it. These opportunities are moving fast. The schools that adapt early will have a real advantage over those that wait.

Want to explore what's possible? Give us a call at (540) 534-2261 or shoot an email to [email protected]. We can chat about your specific situation and figure out what makes sense for you.

The future of education isn't some far-off thing—it's happening right now. The only question is whether you'll be part of building it or watching from the sidelines.

Have you seen AI in education in action at your school? What's working? What isn't? Drop us a line at [email protected]—we genuinely want to hear your experience.