Secondary school educators in India are pioneering a pilot project that integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI) with a Human-in-the-loop (HITL) approach to create context-specific Open Educational Resources (OER). At a national consultation hosted by COL’s Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA), the project seeks to equip teachers with advanced AI tools to personalise learning content for Grade 9 mathematics, while fostering inclusive and adaptive education.

Organised with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), over 50 teachers and education experts explored AI’s role in improving educational outcomes through quality learning materials.

Dr B. Shadrach, Director, CEMCA, outlined the objectives of the project. Dr V. Balaji, Vice President, COL, underscored how Indian institutions innovated in HITL in AI through services like Anusaaraka – a machine translation technique developed in the 1990s – and referred to the recent 3rd World OER Congress in Dubai, which spotlighted AI’s growing role in education.

Dr Betty Ogange, Education Specialist at COL, shared experiences from similar pilot projects in the Pacific region and Ghana, offering insights into global applications of AI-integrated education. Participants were also introduced to COL’s AI-integrated OER platform that enables the creation, adaptation, and refinement of subject-specific teaching materials with features like structured lesson planning, peer-review systems, and seamless integration of openly licensed content. The platform’s curriculum-aligned and discipline-focused design, coupled with support from mentors, enhances productivity and ensures high-quality, customised educational resources.

Key speakers, including Dr Biswajit Saha, Director of CBSE; Dr Amarendra P. Behera, Joint Director of NCERT; and Mr Mrutyunjaya Behera, Economic Advisor in the Ministry of Education, India, all highlighted the project’s potential to personalise teaching.

The event concluded with a shared vision to scale the project, leveraging AI to foster innovative, equitable and adaptive learning solutions across India.