India, 7th October 2026: A child getting an answer wrong does not always mean they have not understood the lesson. Sometimes, they may understand the idea but struggle to use it. In other cases, they may get the answer right without fully understanding the concept.
New data from Vikalp Online School, based on the learning records of 6,045 students between April and September 2026, highlights this gap between knowing and applying. The school found an average of around 22 areas where students needed additional support in secondary classes and 14 in primary classes. More than 10,000 such learning gaps have been identified and addressed this year.
Importantly, 95% of students showed improvement after receiving additional support, while the number of identified learning gaps fell by 49.6%.
The data also offers an insight that parents may find particularly relevant. Around 43% of students understood a concept but found it difficult to apply it in written work, while 23% were able to perform better in written exercises but had not developed a complete understanding of the concept itself.
For Vikalp, the findings point to a larger issue in school education: a test can tell us what a child answered, but it may not always tell us why they answered it that way.
The school uses AI to look at patterns across quizzes, assignments, projects and examinations and flag areas where a child may need help. Teachers then review the information and decide what the child actually needs, whether that means more practice, a different explanation, or going back to a concept through an activity.
“AI in education should not be about replacing human judgement; it should be about strengthening it. At Vikalp, AI has helped reduce teachers’ assessment-related workload by around 30%, while teachers continue to shape or modify the suggested interventions in most cases. This reinforces our belief that technology can identify patterns, but meaningful learning decisions must remain grounded in a teacher’s understanding of the child,” said Dinesh Gupta, Founder & CEO, Vikalp Online School.
The approach reflects a simple principle: children do not all learn in the same way or at the same pace. The sooner a learning difficulty is understood, the sooner it can be addressed.