Picture this: In a typical Grade 7 Indian classroom, while one student struggles with basic division, another might be practising fractions easily.

The teacher, facing 40 such students, must choose between teaching to the lowest level and holding back the advanced learners, or push ahead and leave struggling students further behind.

It’s an impossible choice that plays out in thousands of classrooms every day which has resulted in poor learning outcomes.

According to PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024, while Grade 3 students scored 64% in language and 60% in mathematics, these score decrease as we move up the grades with Grade 6 students scoring 57% and 46% and Grade 9 students scoring 54% and 37% in language and mathematics respectively.

This is a stark reminder that while children are moving up in school, their learning is not keeping pace.

Moreover, ASER 2024 highlighted that in more than two-thirds of government primary schools, a single classroom can have students span multiple grade-level competencies.

These gaps further widen as students progress, and a “teach-to-grade-level only” approach leaves many behind. The situation was no different in Andhra Pradesh.

The state’s education system long grappled with ‘one-size-fits-all’ instruction.

However, it aimed to solve this problem by embedding Personalised Adaptive Learning (PAL) into government schools, and the results are nothing short of revolutionary.

PAL is a software that identifies each student’s learning levels and crafts a customised learning path and pace for them, catering to diverse learning needs.

A rigorous, independent research study conducted by University of Chicago’s Development Innovation Lab, and Central Square Foundation as a strategic partner, using Randomised Control Trial (RCT)–revealed extraordinary results from Andhra Pradesh’s implementation.

Students using PAL gained the equivalent of 1.9 additional years of learning in just 17 months, that’s 2.3 times more learning than their peers in traditional classrooms.

Even more remarkable was that these gains were seen across all grades and student groups, with especially strong results among girls and younger students.

Most importantly students lagging the most were benefitted the most too giving a bright ray of hope for the academically weaker students to catch up and reach grade-level proficiency.

From a modest beginning in 60 schools in 2018, PAL now reaches 3.25 lakh students in 1,224 government schools spanning all 26 districts of Andhra Pradesh.

With plans to expand into 232 PM SHRI schools in 2025-26, the state is doubling down on this transformation.

However, the only learning from the state’s tryst with PAL isn’t that the technology works, rather, how it must truly be rolled out in schools.

Four major learnings emerge from the implementation of this programme.

First, the program got everyone to sing from the same hymn sheet. From the state capital to remote village schools, everyone understood why PAL mattered.

Andhra Pradesh issued formal circulars, held launch orientations, and ensured that PAL updates featured in weekly and monthly review meetings chaired by the State Project Director of Samagra Shiksha.

Second, it was made as essential as textbooks.

Instead of treating PAL like an experimental side project, Andhra Pradesh wove it into the very fabric of the system. Budgets for implementing the program were earmarked within the larger Samagra Shiksha budgets. PAL content was aligned with the state curriculum.

Every school got its own dedicated PAL lab with 30 tablets. In overcrowded classrooms, careful scheduling ensured every child got their turn. Two out of eight weekly math periods were dedicated to using the software.

The State education department appointed a state-level PAL Coordinator and 26 District Nodal Officers who visited schools regularly, troubleshooting problems before they derailed progress.

On top of this, field management staff, assigned by the software provider, visited every PAL school weekly, keeping the technology humming. Third, significant investments were made in training the teachers.

Over 4,000 teachers received hands-on training on how to onboard students onto the platform, how to use the platform effectively and how to integrate the software into their daily teaching routines.

They were also taught how to read teacher dashboards to monitor student progress.

To complement this, the Teacher Professional Development (TPD) course on PAL was rolled out with 100% course completion in many schools. Fourth, success was made irresistible.

District review meetings became celebrations of schools that embraced PAL wholeheartedly. Weekly meetings at the state level recognised high-performing districts and schools.

By turning PAL into a badge of honor, Andhra Pradesh created a movement where teachers and school leaders wanted to excel.

As a result of these efforts, PAL usage averaged at 18 hours per student last academic year.

The independent study has shown that PAL works to improve student learning outcomes for government school children; can be successfully implemented by existing government machinery; and can be scaled.

Building on this promise, Andhra Pradesh is all set to expand this revolution, potentially creating the world’s largest case study on how technology can be a low-cost solution to a problem that haunts every developing nation.

What makes this approach particularly powerful is that PAL can work regardless of the device or internet connection available.

The software runs equally well on basic tablets, Chromebooks, or other hardware, and can function even without internet access. This flexibility means the program can reach students in any location, regardless of their school’s technology infrastructure, making large-scale expansion truly feasible.

The pieces are finally in place. We have rigorous proof that the learning crisis has a solution. We have technology that demonstrably works. And we have a roadmap for implementation that any state can follow.

The only question left is one of will: Are we ready to make personalized learning as fundamental to education as textbooks and blackboards?