How a Mohali man’s experience in Finland is helping to gamify maths and make it fun for kids in South Asia

Avan Goel heads the South Asia hub of Eduten which was developed by students at Finland’s University of Turku and uses AI to gamify maths.

Written by Manraj Grewal Sharma

Chandigarh | Updated: April 5, 2025 01:19 PM IST

4 min read

Avan Goel. (Express)

Avan Goel was studying electrical engineering in Thapar, Patiala, when he set up his first edutech startup with a friend. “It was about experiential learning. I had won a competition and gone to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) in the US where I discovered experiential learning.” That was in 2008.

Goel graduated and set off to explore the best of edutech across Europe and North America. it was then that he discovered Eduten. Developed by students at Finland’s University of Turku, it was revolutionising the learning of maths. Today, Goel heads the South Asia hub of Eduten from his cosy office in Zirakpur, Mohali.

He says Eduten, which won the 2022 Unicef EdTech Award, uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to gamify maths. “It transforms the much-feared subject into an enjoyable experience for students from kindergarten to Grade 10,” Goel adds.

Since 2022, UNICEF’s Global Learning Innovation Hub has also been helping to introduce Eduten in various countries in their bid to democratise education. “When I was exploring global education models, I studied over 300 companies in the West. Finland stood out for its education system. That’s when I came across Eduten, which was expanding internationally,” Goel says.

He saw an opportunity in 2020, when physical classrooms became inaccessible and Eduten began looking beyond Finland to scale its programme. Having worked with the company for several years, he was granted a licence to run Eduten’s operations in South Asia.

Weekly digital mathematics lessons are at the heart of the Eduten pilot. Each week, teachers assign a set of online exercises that students complete during class and optionally at home. The results have been encouraging: teachers reported reduced workloads and better student engagement, and 92 per cent of the students said they enjoyed learning with Eduten.

The core idea is simple—use AI and gamification to make students practice maths several times more than they usually do. Teachers can personalise the learning experience for each student, while school leaders can track progress through a central dashboard. “We focus on reducing the fear of maths while teaching them everything from algebra to geometry,” Goel explains. Data analytics also map the strengths and weaknesses of each child.

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Bhutan has already signed up to roll out Eduten’s tools nationwide, starting with students in grades 4 and 5. Sri Lanka is next in line, with teacher training set to begin soon. In India, while states like Punjab have shown interest, scaling up remains slow. “Government schools with 26 crore kids in India are the best way forward, but our reforms are slow, and embracing AI in education is even slower,” notes Goel, who rues that teaching too lacks passion as it is not well-paid and is seldom considered among the top professions.

Frank van Cappelle, who heads the Unicef Global Learning Innovation Hub in Helsinki, said, “These exciting results show how Finnish education excellence, Unicef’s global reach, and the agility of a startup from a top Finnish university can come together to deliver real learning gains for children. At the Unicef Global Learning Innovation Hub, we are thrilled to see such impressive progress in Bhutan and look forward to building on this success.”

Ask Goel, who has two children, aged 9 and 11, about the general fear of students getting too much screen time, and he clarifies, “The idea is not to replace teachers or traditional learning but to blend technology with it.”

The South Asia hub has also undertaken several social impact initiatives. As part of CSR efforts, it provided free maths modules to monastic schools, and in collaboration with the Tata Steel Foundation, helped students from underprivileged backgrounds to prepare for and clear entrance tests to top schools.

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For Goel, the mission goes beyond business. “Education needs to be stress-free and enjoyable. That’s how we can create a future-ready generation of innovators,” he says.

Manraj Grewal Sharma

Manraj Grewal Sharma is a senior journalist and the Resident Editor of The Indian Express in Chandigarh, where she leads the newspaper’s coverage of north India’s most politically and institutionally significant regions. From Punjab and Haryana to Himachal Pradesh and the Union Territory of Chandigarh, she oversees reporting at the intersection of governance, law, politics and society. She also reports on the diaspora, especially in Canada and the US. With a career spanning journalism across several countries, academia and international development, Manraj brings a rare depth of perspective to regional reporting. She is widely regarded as a leading chronicler of Punjab’s contemporary history and socio-political evolution, particularly its long shadow of militancy, federal tensions and identity politics. Her book, Dreams after Darkness, remains a definitive account of the militancy years and their enduring aftermath. Professional Background & Expertise A gold medalist in mass communication and a post-graduate in English literature, Manraj has a multifaceted career spanning journalism, academia, and international development. She was also awarded a fellowship by National Foundation of India and did several in-depth pieces on Manipur. Internationally, she has reported from Israel, US, UK, Myanmar, and Mauritius Her key focus areas include: Regional Politics, History, Agriculture, Diaspora, and Security. Of late, she has started focusing on Legal & Judicial Affairs: Much of her recent work involves reporting on high-stakes cases in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, ranging from environmental policy to civil rights. International Consulting: She previously served as a consulting editor for the Asia Pacific Adaptation Network and a publishing consultant for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila. Academia: For five years, she was the managing editor of Gender, Technology and Development, a peer-reviewed international journal at the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reportage focuses heavily on judicial interventions and regional governance: 1. Environment & Governance "‘NGT can’t test legality of policy’: HC hears challenge to Punjab’s ‘Green Habitat’ plan" (Dec 22, 2025): Covering a critical legal battle over whether the National Green Tribunal has the authority to strike down a state policy regularizing farmhouses on delisted forest land. "High court pulls up Punjab poll panel over audio clip probe" (Dec 10, 2025): Reporting on judicial concerns regarding the transparency and fairness of local body elections. 2. Legal Rights & Social Welfare "HC issues notice to Punjab, Haryana over delay in building old age homes" (Dec 22, 2025): Reporting on a contempt petition against top officials for failing to establish government-run homes for the elderly as promised in 2019. "Victims can appeal acquittals in sessions court without seeking special leave" (Dec 19, 2025): Highlighting a significant procedural shift in criminal law following a Supreme Court ruling. "HC upholds benefits for Punjab FCI officer acquitted in 20-year-old bribery case" (Dec 19, 2025): A report on the concept of "honourable acquittal" and its impact on employee benefits. 3. Human Rights & Identity "As Punjab denies parole to MP Amritpal Singh, HC asks it to submit ‘foundational material’" (Dec 1, 2025): Covering the legal proceedings regarding the radical preacher and sitting MP's request to attend Parliament. "Protecting life paramount: HC backs Muslim woman in live-in after verbal divorce" (Nov 6, 2025): Analyzing judicial protections for personal liberty in the context of traditional practices. Signature Beats Manraj is recognized for her ability to decode complex judicial rulings and relate them to the everyday lives of citizens. Whether it is a 30-year-old land battle in Fazilka or the political implications of Kangana Ranaut’s candidacy in Mandi, her writing provides deep historical and regional context. Contact @grewal_sharma on X manrajgrewalsharma on Instagram ... Read More

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