A Delhi-based educator was named the winner of the World Education Medal on Wednesday for her inspiring use of artificial intelligence (AI) in London.
Vineeta Garg, focusing on integrating AI into education to promote inclusion, accessibility and equitable learning opportunities, emerged as an Indian winner in the "Educators" category. Founded by information technology major HP Inc, the medals celebrate worldwide visionaries sparking change across three categories of Educators, Leaders and Students. "I want to thank HP for recognising the power of inclusive AI education to create meaningful, large-scale change," said Garg, Head of Information Technology (IT) at SRDAV Public School in Delhi. "AI education must be inclusive, ethical, and accessible to every learner, regardless of geography or ability. Through initiatives like EmpowerED with AI, we have democratised AI learning for over 800,000 students and 12,000 teachers, equipping diverse communities to not only understand AI, but to use it responsibly to solve real-world challenges, she said. Her EmpowerED with AI initiative was born as Garg recognised that AI learning opportunities were largely limited to elite students in metropolitan schools, while students in rural areas and those with special needs remained excluded. At the same time, urban learners though exposed to AI often lacked an understanding of ethical AI use and how to apply AI to solve real-world challenges. Her students have gone on to develop award-winning AI projects, including a remote respiratory health screening model presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Yellow Submarine a high-level programming language that offers an easy way to learn complex areas like cybersecurity and speech processing. "Your work integrating AI into education to support inclusive education for diverse student populations truly highlights how harnessing the latest technology can pave the way for a brighter future in education, offering hope and progress for society," said Mayank Dhingra, Director & Global Head of Education Business and Strategy at HP. "Leaders across the world can be inspired by this example, by these AI innovations, and by the lives that have been changed, he said. The other medal winners for the year include Rebecca Winthrop, Director of the Centre for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution from the US and Mexico's Valeria Palacios Cruz, a student innovator at Universidad Ceulver/TecNM-Veracruz, winning in the "Leaders" and "Students" categories respectively. The winner of each of the three medals was chosen from the five finalists for that medal by a Global Judging Academy comprising prominent individuals. The World Education Medal for Leaders was open to policymakers, EdTech founders, NGO heads and government officials using AI to drive systemic change in education. The medal for Educators was open to classroom teachers, school principals and academics applying AI to support learners and empower colleagues. The medal for Students was open to young changemakers, aged 15-25, creating or applying AI to tackle real-world challenges through education, equity, and social good.
