Chennai, 19th September 2025: The Economic Times Education successfully hosted EDNXT Chennai 2025 at Taj Wellington Mews, bringing together over 200 education leaders, innovators, and policymakers under the theme “The Education Transformation: AI, Access & Acceleration.” The summit explored how technology and policy can drive inclusive, future-ready learning in both school and higher education, featuring inaugural addresses, MOUs, special guest address, panel discussions, and expert talks.

Governor RN Ravi opens EDNXT Chennai 2025

Hon’ble Governor of Tamil Nadu, Thiru RN Ravi, inaugurated the summit, emphasising the transformative role of education and AI in India’s growth. He observed, “Education is the most potent instrument of transformation and justice. Technology, particularly AI, is a general-purpose force reshaping every domain at an unprecedented scale.” He stressed the importance of India developing its own AI capabilities, supporting startups, and ensuring equitable access to quality education. The Governor praised the National Education Policy 2020 for shifting the focus from rote learning to skill-based, entrepreneurial, and innovation-driven education, cautioning against marginalisation of students in government-run schools and state universities.

Tamil Nadu govt highlights skilling & higher education

Thiru Kranthi Kumar Pati, IAS, Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation, highlighted the state’s achievements in higher education and skilling. He said, “Tamil Nadu leads India in Gross Enrolment Ratio, NIRF-ranked institutions, and PhD production. As AI transforms the workforce, we are preparing students for niche sectors and gig-economy opportunities, ensuring each learner can specialise and thrive in a rapidly evolving landscape.”

AI-driven inclusive learning

Prof Dr M Krishnan, Vice-Chancellor, Central University of Tamil Nadu, reflected on Chennai’s legacy as a hub of academic excellence and emphasised inclusive, AI-driven education. “AI can create personalised, interactive learning pathways, but only if it is used to bridge the digital divide. Central University is applying AI across curricula, research, and evaluation, and we aim to expand this ecosystem through collaborations,” he shared.

Personalised AI-powered learning

Lakshmi Narayanan, Chancellor, KREA University, discussed AI-powered classrooms and its potential to personalise learning. “AI can be every student’s personal mentor, much like executive coaches guide top leaders. At KREA, we integrate AI to enable adaptive, interdisciplinary learning pathways, combining arts, sciences, and technology for holistic education,” he explained.

Self-directed, values-based curriculum

Pushpalata Pooranan, Director, Pushpalatha Schools, stressed curriculum reforms for today’s learners, emphasising autonomy and moral grounding. “Learners must be given systematic opportunities to be self-directed. While technology reshapes classrooms, culture, language, and values must remain central to education.”

Experiential learning for future-ready students

Ravishankar Pillai, Chairperson, The American International School, Chennai, highlighted the importance of immersive, purpose-driven learning for Gen Alpha. “We aim to re-humanise school experiences through collaborative projects where students create and learn. AI serves as a launchpad for creativity, while public schools leverage it to personalise learning at scale.”

Inclusive, curiosity-driven education

Nagasamy Suresh Dinesh, Director, Jayapriya Vidyalaya Group of Schools, emphasised inclusive curriculum design for Tier 2 and Tier 3 learners. “The focus should shift from covering the syllabus to uncovering it. Students must be encouraged to explore, create, and access knowledge even with limited resources, through teacher and parent engagement.”

EDNXT Chennai 2025 hosts Bentley Systems MOU

The summit featured an MOU signing with Bentley Systems on the EDNXT Chennai platform, fostering collaboration on AI-enabled learning tools and smart infrastructure to support skill development and employability.

Vision for future-ready education

The summit underscored the convergence of technology, policy, and pedagogy across school and higher education, reaffirming that AI, access, and acceleration must go hand in hand to prepare learners for a globalised, technology-driven future. Discussions ranged from curriculum reinvention, personalised learning, interdisciplinary education, skill development, and equity, offering actionable insights for India’s education ecosystem. The Summit also hosted distinguished speakers and leaders, including Dr Regeena Jeppiaar Murali (Jeppiaar University, Chennai); Dr Ch Preeti Reddy (Malla Reddy Vishwavidyapeeth, Hyderabad); Prof (Dr) K M Baharul Islam (Institute of Management Technology, Hyderabad); Prof R Prasad (ICFAI Group); Prof Dr D Mohanlal (Anna University); Ranjit Narasimhan (Shikshaa Group of Institutions, Chennai); and S Jayalakshmi (Sree Narayana Mission Sr Sec School, Chennai) among many others.