The UAE’s education sector is experiencing a substantial transformation, with Physics Wallah (PW), an online learning platform, playing a pivotal role. PW has empowered students in the UAE and is now poised to extend its reach to other regions within the GCC. In an interview with wknd., Prateek Maheshwari, Co-Founder of Physics Wallah, expressed his excitement about the expansion. “The Gulf presents robust growth prospects, especially in STEM education, which aligns with the region’s vision. We also see potential in forming alliances with local institutions and schools to boost learning outcomes for students using PW’s technological prowess,” he stated.
Given the rapid expansion in the UAE market, what strategies have been employed to broaden the local education landscape and attract a larger student base? PW is dedicated to democratizing education worldwide, with a strong emphasis on markets like the UAE. Our growth in the region has been fueled by our strategic alliance with Knowledge Planet, providing us with crucial insights into the local educational environment. A significant initiative is our collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) to offer Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) courses for Arabic students, in line with the recent launch of IIT in Abu Dhabi. This creates direct pathways for students aspiring for engineering careers.
We’ve also launched a premium online program for CBSE students, featuring small, interactive classes, two-way engagement, and the Alakh AI education suite, powered by AI Guru, a 24/7 academic assistant that aids students in resolving doubts in real-time. Additionally, we’ve partnered with schools to conduct seminars on admissions and competitive exams, alongside career fairs and personalized counseling. These initiatives have fortified our bond with UAE students, particularly in grades 9 to 12, ensuring we remain a trusted educational partner.
How has PW adapted its educational approach to align with the specific learning styles and cultural values of Gulf students? In the Gulf, particularly for Indian students, we acknowledge the need for more than just high-quality education. Our approach balances academics with motivation, strategy, and personalized support. Small class sizes enable individual attention, helping teachers address unique challenges. We also provide strategic sessions on life skills like long-term thinking, time management, and goal setting to help students thrive in the ever-changing landscape.
Understanding that education isn’t one-size-fits-all, we offer personalized learning paths, including extra classes, doubt-clearing sessions, and regular parent-teacher meetings to track and enhance student performance. Our fully English-conducted, highly interactive classes—online and offline—encourage students to ask questions freely, creating a dynamic learning environment with approachable teachers. To ensure transparency, we provide weekly performance reports to parents, detailing attendance, test scores, and progress. This holistic approach has led to consistent success.
Can you elaborate on the role of technology in personalizing the learning experience for students and enhancing teacher-student interactions within PW Gulf's platform? Technology is integral to personalizing education at PW Gulf. Our platform is designed for accessibility, allowing students to access learning materials seamlessly across mobile devices and computers. This flexibility lets them engage with classes anytime, anywhere. Our standout feature is the Alakh AI education suite, powered by AI Guru, a 24/7 academic guide that provides real-time answers to student queries.
We create personalized study plans and targeted revision classes by tracking frequently asked topics and combining them with test performance. Our PW Smart Doubt Engine, a component of the Alakh AI suite, efficiently resolves 80 percent of the 1.2 million monthly doubts in real time with 85 percent accuracy. This allows our teachers to dedicate more time to core teaching, enhancing the overall learning experience. We also offer personalized testing systems, providing detailed feedback on weak areas and sending tailored study packages with notes and practice questions to help students improve.
Features like live chats, in-class polls, and hand-raise options make classes highly interactive. Additionally, performance metrics, including test scores and participation, contribute to each student’s grade point average, ensuring a holistic evaluation of their progress. Can you provide examples of how Knowledge Planet Premier League (KPL)’s sports and competitions, in partnership with PW, have contributed to student development? Our KPL initiative is a prime example of how sports contribute to the holistic development of students.
Through football and basketball competitions, KPL fosters essential life skills such as teamwork, cooperation, and resilience, reinforcing our core values. We emphasize that effort is greater than result, encouraging students to push their limits and focus on teamwork. The importance of showing up every day builds consistency and persistence. Students learn to embrace failures as learning opportunities, nurturing resilience and a growth mindset.
KPL also instills the value of ‘no excuses,’ teaching students to take ownership of their performance. This experience boosts motivation, creating a strong sense of community among students. As a result, students become more engaged and driven, both on the field and in the classroom, translating their sports experiences into academic success. How does PW use data analytics to identify student learning gaps and tailor its content and teaching methods? We use data analytics to provide a personalized learning experience for each student.
Our platform captures data ranging from test performance to engagement metrics like attendance and in-class participation. This helps us gain deep insights into student strengths and areas for improvement. By analyzing test scores at the chapter and topic levels, we identify learning gaps and offer targeted support through extra revision classes and doubt-clearing sessions. We also track engagement metrics to monitor trends, allowing us to reach out to students who need additional help.
Data not only identifies issues but also shapes our teaching methods. We create personalized study plans, provide targeted practice questions, and offer extra notes and video lectures. By combining test results with engagement data, we ensure that students get the right support to improve. With increasing competition in the edtech sector, what unique value proposition does PW offer to differentiate itself? PW distinguishes itself in the EdTech space by combining affordability, quality education, interactive teaching, and constant innovation.
Our teachers, inspired by our CEO, Alakh Pandey, create a friendly, engaging environment where students feel comfortable asking questions. This personal touch is one of our biggest unique selling points. We continuously innovate with tools like Khazana, a repository of popular lectures, and AI Guru, a 24/7 academic assistant. Paired with our premium online courses, these innovations give students personalized support in an interactive, online environment. Our parent-teacher meetings ensure regular feedback loops to keep both students and parents aligned on progress.
PW started with the mission of democratizing education at scale by enabling access to affordable quality education. Today, approximately one in every five JEE or National Eligibility cum Entrance Test aspirant in India comes from PW. As we continue to innovate, our focus remains on providing accessible, affordable education. As PW continues to expand its operations, what are the key challenges and opportunities in ensuring long-term sustainability and scalability in the Gulf? As we expand into the Gulf, adapting to its smaller market size and higher operational costs is a key challenge.
In India, our large-scale operations allow us to offer affordable education, but the Gulf requires a tailored approach to pricing and delivery without compromising accessibility and quality. Another challenge is expanding beyond the Indian student base to reach other nationalities. While we currently serve Indian expatriates, we are developing inclusive products to cater to the Gulf’s diverse population. Our first step is to scale our offerings for Indian students before expanding further.
We also see potential in building partnerships with local institutions and schools to enhance the learning outcomes for students using PW’s technology expertise. Technology-driven scalability presents another major opportunity, allowing us to reach more students both online and through hyperlocal learning centres. By staying agile and listening to feedback, we’re committed to long-term sustainability and delivering affordable, high-quality education. How have PW’s hyperlocal learning centres contributed to improving educational accessibility and outcomes for students in the Gulf?
What challenges and opportunities have arisen from this approach? Our hyperlocal learning centres have significantly improved educational accessibility in the Gulf. There are 12 centres across the UAE in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai, strategically located in high-density areas, reducing commute times and allowing students to focus on both academics and extracurricular activities. These centres offer personalized attention and integrate with our online offerings by providing recorded sessions that students can revisit anytime.
One challenge is finding prime locations with enough space for classrooms and amenities. The goal is to balance convenience and infrastructure, ensuring students are both physically close to their learning environment and mentally engaged. Looking forward, we plan to expand this hyperlocal model across the Gulf and beyond, blending offline and online learning. These centres will also serve as community hubs, hosting workshops, seminars, and counselling sessions, fostering deeper connections with local communities.
How has leadership played a key role in PW's expansion into the UAE market? Our leadership team has ensured that we maintain the same mission that drove our success in India while recognizing UAE's unique cultural and market dynamics. The leadership’s vision remains focused on sustainable growth and further expansion across the Gulf while staying true to our core values of quality, affordability, and accessibility in education.
