Dr Arun Prakash
A few weeks ago, I found myself pausing mid-scroll on a social media feed. Amidst the usual flurry of updates and fleeting posts, there was one that lingered.I came across the profile of a bright young mind—an alumna of SRCC and founder of an EdTech startup using AI to detect learning gaps. Something in that brief line stirred me deeply.
Something about that line made me sit up.
Because this is my world. And has been for the last four decades. Since 1981, to be precise—when I walked into my first classroom as a teacher. What a journey it’s been, from the blackboard of a primary school to the boardrooms of international institutions. Through every phase, I’ve been consumed by one central question: how do we make real learning happen in our schools?
What I’ve realized is a paradox—the biggest hurdle to learning is often teaching itself.
We teach too much. We speak too much. We instruct too much. And in doing so, we leave little space for a child to think, to question, to wonder.
It’s why I say, again and again: “Learning starts when teaching stops.”
Let me take you back to a time when I found hope in something refreshingly different. The year was 2008, and I came across an initiative called i-Discover-i, led by a passionate team under Ashish Rajpal & Anustup Nayak. It was the first time I saw an education programme built not around textbooks or lectures, but around discovery. It didn’t just talk about pedagogy—it gave teachers step-by-step tools to truly bring learning alive in the classroom.
One day, in a biology class, the teacher took students out to the garden and asked them to collect fallen leaves of every kind—shapes, sizes, colours, textures. Back inside, she grouped them and asked the children to classify and describe them—not just by looking, but by touching, observing, discussing. The names of leaf types came after the learning, not before.
What happened in that class was extraordinary. Through that one simple task, children learned discipline (walking in line), environmental sensitivity (not plucking leaves), observation, categorization, collaboration, communication, leadership, and even hygiene (washing hands and discussing microbes). And the teacher? She was more of a guide, nudging them gently from the background.
i-Discover-i, which later evolved into XSEED, didn’t just teach content. It taught how to learn. It showed us that education is not about filling a bucket—it’s about lighting a fire.
We were among its early adopters, and the results were transformative.
Now, while i-Discover-i was the pioneer, it thankfully did not remain alone. The space slowly started to populate with other tech-driven pedagogical frameworks—like Mylestone and Solid Steps—which also began supporting teachers with structured, technology-integrated lesson plans. They weren’t institutions, but like i-Discover-i, these were EdTech ventures trying to solve a common problem: how do we enable teachers to teach less so students can learn more?
And yet, even with all this, the core challenge remains.
Walk into any classroom and ask the children what they want to be. You’ll hear dreams of astronauts, actors, coders, athletes. Rarely—almost never—does anyone say, “I want to be a teacher.” And if by chance, we find a good teacher, look at what we expect from her.
Thirty-plus classes a week. Four or five different grades. Managing 150+ students. On top of that, competitions, parent meetings, excursions, exam duty, assemblies. In such a scenario, where is the time to truly understand every child’s learning needs?
Let’s be honest: only a handful of students actively participate in class. They answer in chorus, raise their hands quickly, and we assume our teaching is effective. But beneath that surface, most learning gaps remain unnoticed, buried under noise and routine.
That’s why that young woman’s profile stayed with me. Because it led me to something new—something promising.
I discovered AcadAlly, a startup founded by Ridhi and Yash—a dynamic young team. Bright, sharp, and deeply rooted in empathy for learners. Their platform doesn’t replace teachers. It empowers them. It’s built on a simple but revolutionary promise: to track and map every child’s learning journey, one concept at a time.
AcadAlly is not just another app. It’s an AI-supported system that allows teachers to assign tasks—from simple recall to higher-order thinking—across every concept in the curriculum. Students work at their own pace, and their understanding is automatically analyzed by the platform. Teachers, school leaders, even parents get a dashboard view of how each student is progressing, where the gaps are, and what can be done.
If a child struggles with a concept, the system doesn’t just highlight the issue—it suggests how to improve. And the child is encouraged to practice and reattempt. This isn’t about grades. It’s about growth.
What amazed me most is this: AcadAlly is barely a few months old and already being used by over 60 progressive schools across India. Not because of aggressive marketing or buzzwords, but because the product actually works. Flawlessly. Thoughtfully. Respectfully.
And no—I’m not endorsing a product here. I’m celebrating a possibility. A shift. A fresh breath of air in a space that desperately needs innovation rooted in real classroom needs.
Because let’s face it—AI is here. Algorithms are already shaping what we see, read, watch, even think. But while the internet is flooded with distractions, what if we could turn this very power into something beautiful? An algorithm that helps children learn better, focus deeper, reflect clearer.
That is what AcadAlly is trying to do.
And it gives me immense hope that even as our generation—yes, my prehistoric one!—moves toward reflection and legacy, there are young minds like Ridhi Agrawal and Yash Prakash who are bravely carrying the baton forward. They are building not just tech, but trust. Not just apps, but allies in learning.
Let us support them—not as promoters, but as educators committed to the same dream.
Let us create classrooms that are not just about covering syllabi, but about uncovering minds.
Let us walk in the footsteps of Sarabhai, whose father hired seven tutors from across the world, not to cram knowledge into him, but to make learning joyful. Let’s remember Swami Vivekananda’s words:
“Education is the manifestation of perfection already in man.”
That perfection doesn’t need a lecture. It needs discovery. Curiosity. Space.
And most of all, it needs teachers who are empowered to stop teaching—just long enough for real learning to begin.
About the Author : Dr. Arun Prakash is a President Awardee educator with over four decades of distinguished experience in school education across India and abroad. He has served as Founder Principal of eight schools, including five Delhi Public Schools in India and overseas, as well as SAI International School, Bhubaneswar, and Laurels International School, a concept school where joyful learning is paramount. Currently the Chairman & Managing Director of Prizdale Group, he also leads Prizdale Learning and serves as Editor-in-Chief of Prizdale Times. A passionate advocate for teacher empowerment and the ethical integration of technology in education, Dr. Prakash continues to guide and inspire through his writings, workshops, and leadership initiatives.