Bridging Gaps in Inclusive Education

For over two decades, Sol’s ARC has been working to make learning accessible for all — especially for students who face social, economic, or cognitive barriers. Their inclusive education model, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), focuses on ensuring that every child, regardless of background or ability, can learn, thrive, and eventually find meaningful employment.

But even with strong programs, teachers often face challenges in identifying and supporting struggling learners in real time. Many educators, especially in government schools, manage large classrooms and have limited training in recognizing early signs of developmental, behavioral, or learning difficulties. This is where technology becomes a powerful ally — not to replace teachers, but to empower them.

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The RedFlag App: A Foundation for Early Experiments

Before introducing chatbots, Sol’s ARC had already pioneered digital interventions like the RedFlag App — an AI-assisted tool designed to help teachers identify children “at risk” of developmental delays or learning challenges. The app simplified a complex process that once required manually filling over 5,000 questionnaire fields.

Teachers could now screen students more efficiently, and the Tamil Nadu government even integrated RedFlag into its education system.

The impact was measurable. A research study with over 1,000 teachers across three districts showed a 2.6x improvement in teachers’ ability to identify at-risk children when using the app.

Still, the process demanded a more dynamic, real-time support mechanism — one that could guide teachers in the moment while they were in the classroom.

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The Birth of IncluEd: An AI-Powered Chatbot for Teachers

That’s where the IncluEd chatbot was born.

As Jerin Thomas, from Sol’s ARC, shared in conversation:

“We wanted to make teachers’ lives easier. Instead of filling long forms or searching for strategies, what if teachers could just ask for help and get real-time support — right when they need it?”

The chatbot, built in partnership with Glific, uses AI to offer personalized guidance to teachers facing classroom challenges. It draws from over 20 years of Sol’s ARC’s training data and case histories, providing responses not as rigid instructions, but as stories and examples that teachers can relate to.

This humanized storytelling approach helps teachers connect with the advice emotionally — seeing not just what to do, but how other teachers have handled similar challenges in the past.

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How IncluEd Works

IncluEd acts as a real-time companion for teachers.
When a teacher encounters a challenge — say, a student showing signs of anxiety or difficulty focusing — they can ask the chatbot directly.

The bot then responds with:

• Possible reasons or “risks” based on the teacher’s observations.
• Suggested next steps and classroom strategies.
• Emotional support through relatable stories from other educators.

Importantly, the bot doesn’t label the child. Instead, it identifies potential indicators for further observation or referral, helping teachers act with empathy and understanding rather than assumption.

Behind the scenes, the chatbot leverages historical data, curated interventions, and feedback from a community of over 200 teachers who continuously test and refine the system.

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Teachers at the Center of Co-Creation

One of the most powerful aspects of IncluEd’s development is its teacher-driven design. Sol’s ARC regularly conducts school visits and feedback sessions where teachers share their experiences, success stories, and suggestions for improvement.

Many teachers have reported that the chatbot:

• Helps them make faster and more informed decisions.
  
• Reduces their anxiety when dealing with complex classroom situations.
  
• Offers emotional reinforcement by validating their instincts.
  

In one visit, a teacher shared how she used IncluEd to prepare an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for a student, integrating the chatbot’s recommended strategies into her lesson plan — making the support actionable and immediate.

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Ethical and Responsible AI in Education

Given the sensitivity of child data, Sol’s ARC and Tech4Dev placed strong emphasis on data privacy and ethical AI design.

All data remains within the organization’s secure environment — the chatbot accesses insights but does not store or transfer personal information externally.

This privacy-by-design approach ensures that while technology enhances inclusion, it never compromises on safety or trust.

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Looking Ahead

As IncluEd continues to evolve, Sol’s ARC envisions a future where AI-driven educational support becomes part of every government school’s digital toolkit — accessible, responsible, and designed around the teacher’s experience.

By combining human empathy, institutional knowledge, and intelligent automation, Sol’s ARC is proving that inclusion isn’t just a goal — it’s a design principle.