Ishaan Palicha, a student at Jumeirah College in Dubai, has built an AI-powered learning platform called VIDYA.AI that is now used by roughly 5,000 students in overcrowded schools across the Indian state of Maharashtra. He aims to expand that reach to 10,000-15,000 students by the end of 2026.
The idea took root during a personal trip. "When I visited municipal schools in Pune and Mumbai in 2023, I saw classrooms with over 50 students and just one teacher," Palicha said. That experience pushed him to look for a way students could actively practise difficult concepts rather than simply reread notes handed out in class.
VIDYA.AI uses AI-driven exercises tailored to each student, aiming to offset the lack of individual teacher attention in crowded classrooms. The platform was built specifically with under-resourced schools in mind, where teacher-to-student ratios often make personalised instruction nearly impossible.
Having grown up in Dubai while working closely with schools in India, Palicha said the contrast shaped his approach: "Growing up in Dubai while working with schools in India has shown me how different learning environments can be." What began as a personal side project has grown into one of the more notable examples of young UAE residents applying technical skills to real social challenges across the region. Jumeirah College has held up the initiative as an example of its students translating classroom learning into tangible impact beyond the UAE's borders, with Palicha continuing to refine the platform's reach and functionality as adoption grows across more schools.