Zoho has launched Zoho Classes 2.0, an AI-powered learning management system (LMS) that will be offered free of product licensing costs to all central and state government schools, colleges, and universities in India. The company will also provide the platform free to individual teachers handling up to 100 students, as it looks to expand access to AI-enabled education technology.
The platform, built in India and launching first in the country before expanding globally, combines AI-powered teaching, student lifecycle management, institutional intelligence, and multilingual support into a single academic platform. Zoho said the LMS supports all 22 scheduled Indian languages, enabling AI-generated teaching content, assessments, and learning materials in regional languages.
The announcement comes as educational institutions increasingly look to integrate artificial intelligence into teaching and administration while aligning with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and outcome-based education frameworks.
“Education shapes how societies learn, adapt, and grow, making it one of the most important areas where technology can create lasting impact. Every education system is unique, and technology must be built around local needs and diverse learning environments. This belief has shaped Zoho Classes into a platform designed to adapt to the diverse students and education systems it serves,” said Mani Vembu, CEO of Zoho.
Vembu added that the company wanted to democratise access to educational technology by removing licensing costs for public institutions.
“We believe access to modern educational technology should never be limited by an institution’s resources. As part of our commitment to democratising access, Zoho Classes are being made available at no product licensing cost to central and state government schools, colleges, and universities across India. We hope this enables more institutions to harness technology to improve learning outcomes and expand educational opportunities,” he said.
Zoho Classes 2.0 introduces three major capabilities: AI embedded throughout the learning journey, student engagement tools designed for digital-native learners, and institutional intelligence for administrators.
Among its key AI features is an AI Course Builder, which can generate a structured course—including lesson plans, assignments, assessments, and outcome mapping—from a syllabus or topic in under 30 seconds. The platform also includes a 24/7 AI tutor for students, adaptive assessments, gamified learning, and microlearning modules.
For educational institutions, the platform provides student lifecycle management from enrolment to graduation, while AI identifies at-risk students and recommends intervention opportunities. Administrators can also track student outcomes, engagement trends, and operational performance through built-in analytics dashboards.
“Traditional LMS platforms were built to deliver academic content, not experiences. But today’s students, raised on short-form video and instant feedback, expect learning to be interactive and immersive, and traditional formats no longer hold their attention,” said Dev Anand Ramasamy, Vice President of Product Management, Zoho.
“At the same time, institutions need to improve outcomes without adding to teachers’ load. That is the gap we set out to bridge. Zoho Classes 2.0 uses a deeply embedded AI layer to automate time-intensive work like lesson planning, grading, and reporting, freeing teachers to focus on what matters most: teaching and engaging students,” he added.
Zoho said the platform has been built to support India’s multilingual education landscape and is already working with government education bodies on digital learning initiatives spanning government schools, polytechnic colleges, and statewide education networks.
The platform also supports outcome-based education (OBE) and accreditation requirements for NAAC, NBA, UGC, NMC, and competency-based medical education workflows required by the National Medical Commission.
Built on Zoho’s vertically integrated technology stack, the platform offers data residency in India and complies with the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act.
According to the company, Zoho Classes has already delivered over eight million notifications, supported more than one million assignment submissions, enabled over 1,00,000 minutes of learning content consumption, and hosts more than 2 TB of teacher-created video content. The platform is currently used by institutions including SRM Institute, Sishya School, Chettinad Health City, CGIHM, Vidya Mandir, Grace International School, GSE Institute, as well as government education bodies.
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