Adobe offers free software to 7.8 million students, teachers in 7 states
Synopsis
Adobe has struck MoUs with seven Indian state governments — including UP, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi — to hand free digital creativity and AI tools to 7.8 million government school students and teachers. It is one of the largest single ed-tech deployments in India's public school system, and it lands squarely inside the government's AVGC two-million-jobs target for 2030.
Key Takeaways
Adobe signed MoUs with 7 states — Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Assam, and Goa — on 27 August .
Nearly 7.8 million students and teachers in government schools will receive free access to Adobe Express for Education .
The initiative covers PM SHRI , CM SHRI , KGBV , and KVS school networks, with expansion planned.
Students and teachers also gain access to AI and digital creativity curriculum via the Adobe Digital Academy .
Adobe has additionally partnered with NASSCOM FutureSkills Prime and MeitY for broader digital skilling across India.
The programme aligns with the Union Budget 2026 target of 2 million AVGC jobs by 2030 .
Adobe on Thursday, 27 August announced partnerships with seven state governments to provide free access to its Adobe Express for Education platform to nearly 7.8 million students and teachers in government schools across India. The move marks a significant expansion of Adobe's K-12 footprint in the country, covering states from the north, south, east, and west.
States and Schools Covered
Adobe signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Assam, and Goa as part of the initiative. The free access extends to school networks including PM SHRI (flagship schools under India's National Education Policy), CM SHRI (state-led model schools), Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBV), and Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), with plans to expand to additional schools and states over time.
What Students and Teachers Get
Adobe Express for Education is a digital media application designed to boost learning outcomes through creative projects. Beyond the software, students and teachers will also gain access to digital creativity and AI skill-building curriculum under the Adobe Digital Academy, covering creative problem-solving, digital storytelling, and AI-assisted content creation.
Teachers will receive training on integrating digital creativity into classroom instruction, while students will use the platform for school projects and creative expression — building skills relevant to India's growing creative and digital industries.
What Adobe and the Government Said
'The partnership builds on Adobe's longstanding commitment to education in India, and supports the government's National Education Policy — which emphasises the use of digital tools and AI to help build creativity skills for future readiness — and complements the Union Budget 2026's goal of creating two million jobs in the field of Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) by 2030,' said Mala Sharma, Global Vice President and General Manager, Education, Adobe.
Broader Digital Skilling Push
The initiative also connects to a wider national effort. Adobe has partnered with NASSCOM FutureSkills Prime — a digital skilling programme run in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) — to offer complimentary access, industry-relevant courses, and certificates to learners across India.
This comes amid a broader government push to embed AI and digital literacy into school curricula, with the NEP framework explicitly prioritising technology-driven learning. As India targets a larger share of the global AVGC market, equipping government school students with foundational creative-digital skills could prove consequential for workforce readiness over the next decade.
Point of View
Not headline reach. Adobe Express is a capable tool, but free licences alone do not move learning outcomes; teacher training quality and classroom internet reliability will determine whether this becomes a genuine skills intervention or a well-intentioned logo on a government MoU. Notably, the AVGC jobs target of two million by 2030 is ambitious against a sector that is still nascent in most tier-2 and tier-3 districts where many of these schools sit. The NASSCOM-MeitY linkage is the more structurally interesting piece — if certificate pathways connect to actual hiring pipelines, this could matter beyond the press release.
NationPress
27 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Which states are covered under Adobe's free software partnership for schools?
Adobe has signed MoUs with seven states: Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Assam, and Goa. The partnership covers government school networks including PM SHRI, CM SHRI, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas, and Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan schools.
What is Adobe Express for Education?
Adobe Express for Education is a digital media application designed to help students engage in creative projects that boost learning outcomes and develop future-ready skills. It also includes an AI skill-building curriculum under the Adobe Digital Academy, covering digital storytelling and AI-assisted content creation.
How many students and teachers will benefit from this initiative?
Nearly 7.8 million students and teachers in government schools across the seven partnering states are set to benefit. Adobe has also indicated plans to expand the programme to additional schools and states over time.
How does this initiative connect to India's national education and jobs goals?
The programme aligns with India's National Education Policy, which emphasises digital tools and AI in learning, and with the Union Budget 2026 target of creating two million jobs in Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) by 2030. Adobe has also partnered with NASSCOM FutureSkills Prime and MeitY for broader digital skilling.
Will teachers receive any training as part of this programme?
Yes. Teachers will be trained on how to integrate digital creativity into classroom instruction as part of the initiative. They will also gain access to the Adobe Digital Academy curriculum alongside students.
