Digital technology has become a cornerstone of education transformation, but in many parts of the world, access to devices alone isn’t enough.

The reality in underserved communities is that learners may have a mobile phone but limited data. They may want to learn but lack motivation, the support or tools that match their context. While digital solutions have proliferated, many fail to engage the learners they aim to serve.

This is the challenge Solve Education! sets out to address: not just delivering educational content, but designing an entire experience that learners and their teachers can access, enjoy and stick with—especially the most marginalized learners.

A framework built for real-world constraints

At the heart of Solve Education!’s work is ‘edbot.ai’: a free-to-use gamified chatbot powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and mobile friendly web application that delivers personalized learning experiences.

Designed to run on basic Android phones and to use minimal data, edbot.ai supports learners and teachers in communities with limited digital literacy and disrupted access to schools and classrooms.

The platform focuses on foundational skills such as English literacy, numeracy and critical 21^st-century competencies like financial literacy and AI literacy. It primarily serves students in primary and secondary school in addition to young adults seeking to strengthen their skills for education and employment opportunities.

We use the GAIN (Goal, Action, Impact, Next Steps) method to make the platform and learning activities engaging, adaptive and community driven.

Supporting teachers as enablers of digital learning

In the communities Solve Education! serves, teachers are vital to bridging the gap between digital tools and classroom realities.

Many face large class sizes, mixed grade levels and limited time to personalize instruction for every student. Solve Education!’s GAIN method complements their efforts by providing curriculum-aligned, gamified learning that’s easy to integrate into their teaching practice.

Through practical training and grants, teachers learn to use the platform as an extension of their teaching by assigning activities, tracking progress with AI-generated reports and sustaining motivation through incentives and peer networks.

In Indonesia, headmasters report improved student attendance and engagement, while in Malaysia, teachers have been recognized nationally for best practice innovations using Solve Education!’s platform.

Watie, a teacher in Malaysia, shared how “the students are very motivated, especially for the listening and speaking game. Through this game we can see that the students can learn better.”

Country-level implementation to improve learning

Solve Education! continuously monitors and evaluates learning outcomes using an integrated system that combines in-app assessments with teacher feedback via surveys and classroom observations, taking note of changes in student behavior and their grades at school.

In Malaysia, this rose to 98%. In Thailand, 97% of students demonstrated progress.

Most learners begin to show gains within the first months of regular use, though the pace and depth of improvement vary by context and learning frequency.

• Indonesia: More than 1 million learners, 17 million sessions

Collaborations with local governments in Central and West Java have supported the integration of gamified digital learning in schools and community centers. More than 1 million learners in Indonesia have completed over 17 million learning sessions. Teachers report not just better English skills, but also higher motivation and engagement among students.

• Malaysia: 98% improved math outcomes

In early 2025, more than 12,000 students joined a one-day national “Math Marathon” combining offline team problem-solving activities with AI-guided challenges on edbot.ai. Teachers integrated the platform into their regular lessons, using the gamified challenges for homework, in-class practice and feedback. While the 10-month program is still ongoing, early results show how digital tools can make math more accessible and enjoyable for a diverse range of students, with 98% of students demonstrating improved learning outcomes.

• India: 1,000 first-time tech users gained AI literacy

In Gujarat, Solve Education! partners with local organizations and teachers to deliver AI literacy workshops and digital learning programs tailored for underserved communities. Over 1,000 learners—many first-time tech users—have gained digital confidence and core skills through these sessions.

• Nigeria: 10 million lessons to keep children learning

In communities where in-person schooling was disrupted, Solve Education!’s mobile-first platform, supported by local educators, enabled learners to complete over 10 million lessons—offering an alternative when learning in a classroom wasn’t possible.

Designing for inclusion, not just access

Many digital learning platforms are built for tech-rich environments. Solve Education! takes the opposite approach: design for the devices learners might have.

This means optimizing for low-bandwidth settings, removing the need for constant connectivity and making interfaces simple for first-time users. With the right tools, teacher support and strong community engagement, digital learning can thrive even in challenging contexts.

As more countries explore how to integrate digital tools into national strategies, these examples show what’s possible when technology is adapted to context and learners and teachers are placed at the center of design.

We invite governments, funders and educators to co-create programs that extend equity, not just access. Together, we can ensure no learner is left behind.