Two Indian education tools, Gurukul by Avanti Fellows and LEAD Learning System by LEAD Group, were among the finalists for the inaugural Global EdTech Prize. The announcement occurred at the World Schools Summit, held at Yasmina British Academy in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. This prize highlights solutions to educational challenges worldwide.
Global EdTech Prize Finalists
Gurukul, from Avanti Fellows, advanced to the final three in the Non-Profits category. LEAD Learning System, from India’s LEAD Group, reached the final three in the Majors category. UK-headquartered T4 Education founded the prize with Owl Ventures.
The overall winners of the Global EdTech Prize included Imagine Worldwide Tablet-Based Foundational Learning Programme from Africa, Brisk Teaching from America, and Matific from Australia.
Vikas Pota, founder of T4 Education and the Global EdTech Prize, congratulated the Indian finalists. He stated their work contributes to improving education. Pota added that the prize aims to scale innovations. These innovations address educational challenges like literacy development, skills building, social mobility support, and learning gap closure.
Prize Mission and Selection
The Global EdTech Prize hosts an annual competition across three categories: Non-Profits, Start-Ups, and Majors.
Ten finalists from each category were invited to the World Schools Summit. T4 Education, Aldar Education, and the Emirates Foundation hosted this event. CIFF, Google, Microsoft, and HP supported the summit.
Finalists presented their work to an expert panel. This panel included technology and education leaders, investors, and policymakers from around the world. The panel then selected the top three per category.
The final three presented their products. Educators then voted by secret ballot to determine the winner of each category. Amit A. Patel, co-founder and managing partner of Owl Ventures, stated the work of the finalists deserves worldwide recognition. He expressed hope that policymakers and educators would help scale these innovations.
Indian Innovations Highlighted
Gurukul, developed by Avanti Fellows and powered by Capgemini, offers free online test preparation. It serves students preparing for competitive exams. Launched in 2024 , Gurukul is a mobile-first, open-source platform. It is designed for low-resource settings.
LEAD Learning System transforms budget private schools in India. It codifies best practices in curriculum design, lesson planning, teaching, training, monitoring, and remediation. This system makes these practices available to teachers, students, school leaders, and parents in an easy-to-use format.