Alef Education Partners to Bring AI Learning to 250,000 Tajik Students

Alef Education, the UAE-based education technology company, has announced a partnership with Soro AI Limited, a deployment company of zypl.ai, to introduce AI-powered learning solutions to 250,000 students across Tajikistan. The collaboration includes plans to expand the same model into neighbouring countries including Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan.

The agreement represents a significant step in Alef Education’s international growth. It will bring the company’s Alef Pathways platform – covering English, Mathematics and Science – into new education systems while adapting content to local languages, national curricula and classroom realities.

Under the partnership, Alef’s structured digital content and personalised learning approach will be combined with Soro AI’s local-language technology and AI curriculum expertise. The joint solution aims to match materials to students’ actual proficiency levels and to support teachers with tools that reflect national priorities rather than importing a one-size-fits-all model.

Geoffrey Alphonso, Chief Executive Officer of Alef Education, said the expansion requires a clear understanding of how students learn and what teachers need in different systems. “To effectively expand access to quality education, it is important to understand how students learn, what teachers need and how learning solutions can be adapted to different education systems,” he stated.

“Through our partnership with Soro AI, we are bringing Alef Education’s expertise in personalised learning to new communities, while working with a local partner that understands their languages, curricula and educational priorities. This is an important step in our international growth and our ambition to make effective, technology-enabled learning accessible to more students.”

Implementation will begin in Tajikistan. Alef Education and Soro AI plan to launch an English Pathways pilot for Grade 11 students and teachers in selected public schools by January 2027, subject to final readiness checks. The pilot will deliver Alef’s English learning content calibrated to students’ proficiency levels. Both companies will monitor participation rates, learning progress and teacher feedback before deciding on the next phase.

Azizjon Azimi, founder of zypl.ai, emphasised the local focus. “Our work in Tajikistan has focused on making AI accessible and relevant to schools nationwide with a globally replicable playbook,” he said. “The Soro vision of empowering every child with beneficial AI will now scale further through our partnership with Alef Education. Together, we aim to develop solutions in Central Asia that reflect local educational priorities, support teachers in the classroom and help students strengthen their knowledge and skills.”

After the English pilot, the partners intend to roll out Mathematics and Science pathways. Content will be adapted to local curricula and the languages of instruction while integrating Alef Pathways with Soro’s existing AI-powered teaching and learning tools. A broader deployment is targeted for September 2027, dependent on technical readiness, curriculum alignment and the required official approvals.

The partnership was announced on the sidelines of AICONF, held in Dushanbe on 30 and 31 October 2026. The conference brought together education and technology stakeholders from the region and provided the platform for the two companies to formalise their collaboration.

Alef Education has built its platform around structured pathways that allow students to progress at their own pace while giving teachers clear visibility of learning gaps. By pairing this approach with a partner that already operates in Central Asian schools, the companies aim to avoid the common pitfalls of technology projects that fail to account for language, curriculum or classroom practice.

The initial focus on Grade 11 English is deliberate. Secondary-level English proficiency remains a priority in many Central Asian education systems, and a measured pilot allows both partners to gather evidence on engagement, learning outcomes and teacher support needs before scaling. Success metrics will include student participation, measurable progress against proficiency benchmarks, and qualitative feedback from teachers on classroom usability.

If the pilot meets expectations, the subsequent introduction of Mathematics and Science content will follow the same principle of local adaptation. Materials will be reviewed against national standards, and the AI layer provided by Soro will be used to personalise pathways further while keeping teachers in control of the learning process.

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The 250,000-student target in Tajikistan represents a substantial portion of the country’s secondary school population. Expansion into the other four Central Asian markets would significantly increase the reach of the joint solution and test its transferability across different education systems that share historical and linguistic connections.

Both companies stress that technology remains a means rather than an end. The goal is to strengthen core subject knowledge and skills while giving teachers practical tools that reduce administrative burden and increase time for direct instruction and support. Local ownership of the curriculum adaptation process is presented as essential to long-term sustainability.

The announcement comes at a time when governments across Central Asia are exploring digital and AI solutions to improve learning outcomes and address teacher shortages in remote areas. By combining an established UAE education platform with a regional AI specialist already working inside Tajik schools, the partnership seeks to move from pilot projects to system-level impact.

Further details on the precise schools selected for the January 2027 pilot, the exact proficiency frameworks used, and the evaluation methodology are expected to be released closer to the launch date. Both parties have confirmed that all content and tools will comply with national education regulations and data-protection requirements in each country of operation.

The collaboration marks one of the larger recent commitments by a UAE education technology company to the Central Asian market and reflects growing interest in regionally adapted AI solutions for public education systems.