How language barriers are undermining India’s edtech revolution, ETEducation
By Sanjay Salil.
At EDNXT Lucknow on December 11, 2025, we connected with 100+ professors and leaders. Dr. Ashutosh Srivastava, Associate Professor and Head at Siddharth University, related: “My brightest student thinks, dreams, and solves in Hindi, but AI forces English translation, dimming her spark.” Surprisingly, dozens shared similar frustrations. While global reports celebrate AI adoption soaring past 65% in higher education, these conversations revealed what stats miss: a growing digital divide rooted in language.
The English-Only Trap
India has 22 official languages and hundreds of dialects, but most AI education tools only work well in English. For metro students with English-medium schooling, this is a minor inconvenience at most. But Tier-2/3 city students face a real barrier: they must translate their Hindi question into English, get an AI answer in English, translate it back to Hindi to understand, and repeat the cycle for clarification.
“This isn’t learning,” the professor explained. “It’s cognitive gymnastics that adds burden instead of removing it.” Faculty members agreed across sessions. A professor asked for
ET Lucknow Article: The Multilingual AI Gap
market case studies in Hindi, but AI just renamed American coffee shops as chai stalls, still using American business models. “It’s not word-swapping,” another faculty noted. “AI must understand cultural teaching contexts like expert educators do instinctively.”
Pedagogy Over Translation
The gap runs deeper than language. Faculty spend 60-70% of their time on administrative tasks-creating assignments, rubrics, and feedback that AI could automate. Yet hesitation persists. They’re not technophobic. They seek augmentation: tools that respect Bloom’s Taxonomy, distinguish recall from analysis, and honor pedagogical frameworks built over careers. Critically, these must work in students’ native languages.
India’s NEP 2020 explicitly encourages bilingual teaching and learning materials in higher education, ensuring students from diverse linguistic backgrounds can access quality education without language barriers. Yet despite this policy mandate, the AI tools flooding Indian institutions remain stubbornly English-first.
EDNXT’s Clear Mandate and VidyaAI’s Answer
As we learnt in the event, English-only “smart” pedagogy fails. India needs AI that combines language inclusivity with smart teaching. VidyaAI delivers exactly this. EDNXT leaders saw live demos and immediately connected:
Real-world examples:
● Multilingual assignments: Professors create microeconomics content, VidyaAI generates chai stall business models and agricultural cases using precise Hindi or Tamil, or Bengali terminology, enabling students to master complex concepts in their native language while preserving Bloom’s Taxonomy rigor across languages.
● 24/7 professor-aligned support: AI Buddy gives students stuck at 8 PM explanations in their native language, drawn exclusively from their teacher’s actual course content, not generic translations like LLMs.
● Smart, controlled feedback: Analyzes Hindi student assessments and delivers pedagogically sound responses (not just translated or grammatical). Teachers authorize every output, fully editable, fully aligned with institutional standards.
Our pilot institutions report 38% improvement in academic performance, 46% increase in student engagement, and 60% reduction in teacher workload-gains that compound when linguistic barriers are removed.
ET Lucknow Article: The Multilingual AI Gap
The Path Forward
One EDNXT faculty, Dr. Anuradha Tiwari, Lucknow University, summed it perfectly: “We’re not afraid of AI. Give us tools that speak our students’ languages, respect our pedagogical expertise, and reduce workload without compromising mission-we’ll adopt enthusiastically.”
VidyaAI answers that mandate precisely. At IndiqAI, we’re building responsible AI for the campus for all our brilliant Hindi-thinking students whose potential shines once language barriers are lifted. This isn’t just technology. It’s equity. It’s an opportunity.
India’s edtech leaders must choose: Tools that serve all students in their native languages, or English-only solutions that favor only a select few. Facing multilingual diversity challenges in your university? Request a free VidyaAI demo at indiqa.ai/vidyaai.
The author Sanjay Salil is Co-Founder and CEO of IndiqAI. A Harvard Business School alumnus and a former media entrepreneur. Sanjay has been featured by CNN, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post. He speaks globally on AI, education, and responsible innovation.
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the author and ETEDUCATION does not necessarily subscribe to it. ETEDUCATION will not be responsible for any damage caused to any person or organisation directly or indirectly.
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