Adobe is expanding its artificial intelligence and digital-skills programme across Indian government schools, taking its education initiatives to around 78 lakh students and teachers across seven states.
The programme covers Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Assam, Bihar and Tamil Nadu. Thousands of government schools will receive free access to Adobe Express for Education alongside learning material focused on digital creativity, problem-solving, storytelling and AI-assisted content creation.
The expansion is part of Adobe Digital Academy, through which the company aims to provide creative, digital and AI skills to 3 crore learners globally by 2030.
Adobe originally announced the seven-state school partnership on August 27. The company highlighted the India rollout again this month while announcing a broader expansion of its global AI-skilling programmes.
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Government schools get free Adobe Express access
Adobe has signed memorandums of understanding with the seven participating state governments.
Under the programme, schools will receive access to Adobe Express for Education, a simplified digital-media platform that students can use to create presentations, graphics, videos and other classroom projects.
The initiative will cover school networks including PM SHRI schools, CM SHRI schools, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas and Kendriya Vidyalayas, along with other government institutions.
Teachers will also receive training on integrating digital creativity into classroom learning.
Instead of treating AI as a separate specialist subject, Adobe says the programme is intended to make AI-assisted content creation part of ordinary learning activities.
For example, students could use generative tools while creating a presentation, designing a poster or developing a digital storytelling project rather than learning AI only through theory.
Adobe says the initiative supports the National Education Policy’s emphasis on technology-enabled and future-ready education.
UNICEF partnership links AI skills with jobs
Adobe is also expanding its partnership with UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited initiative.
The company has become the first partner in Generation Unlimited’s new Creative Academy, which is designed to connect creative and AI skills with employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.
Adobe says nearly 4 lakh young people in India have already accessed creative and AI-enabled digital-skills programmes through its work with UNICEF. More than 3.75 lakh have completed its Design Fundamentals with AI course.
The Creative Academy will initially focus on India and Brazil.
The idea is to move beyond basic software training and connect learners with skills that can be used in areas such as content creation, digital marketing, design and other creative-economy jobs.
Adobe Digital Academy material is also being distributed through platforms including Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, YouTube and IBM SkillsBuild.
Adobe has been widening its India education push
The school programme follows another major Adobe education initiative announced earlier this year.
At the India AI Impact Summit in February, Adobe said students at accredited higher-education institutions in India would receive free access to tools including Photoshop, Acrobat and Firefly.
That programme was aimed at helping college students learn digital content creation and generative AI tools used in professional workplaces.
Adobe also partnered with NASSCOM FutureSkills Prime to provide AI-focused learning and certification opportunities.
The broader push comes as the Union Government and private technology companies rapidly expand AI-skilling programmes in India.
In March, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced another programme with Google and YouTube offering AI-skilling opportunities and 15,000 scholarships for people working or seeking careers in the creative and media industries.
The initiatives reflect a growing belief that AI literacy will become relevant far beyond software engineering.
Designers, teachers, marketers, filmmakers and other professionals are increasingly expected to understand how AI tools can assist with everyday work.
Access alone will not determine whether the programme works
Giving millions of students access to AI-enabled software is only one part of the challenge.
Schools also require functioning computers, reliable internet connections and teachers who understand both the capabilities and limits of AI systems.
Questions around student privacy, inaccurate AI-generated information and overreliance on automated tools will also become more important as AI enters classrooms.
Recent research on government-school teachers has already highlighted strong interest in AI alongside gaps in training, digital infrastructure and data-privacy safeguards.
Adobe’s programme therefore represents a significant expansion in access, but its long-term impact will depend on how consistently those tools are used across schools with very different infrastructure and resources.
For students, the larger shift is clear: AI training is increasingly moving from specialist technology courses into ordinary classroom learning.
What this means for you: Students and teachers in participating government schools may receive free access to Adobe’s creative and AI tools through their institutions. Schools should also ensure students understand privacy, verification and responsible AI use rather than treating generated content as automatically accurate.
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