Education
A school in Nallasopara just built an entire AI innovation ecosystem
In Nallasopara, a quiet shift in education is underway. At the PADH AI Expo—part of the NASO Expo and an initiative by the St. Willibrord Group—students aren’t just learning about artificial intelligence; they’re building real solutions for their communities, turning classrooms into launchpads for innovation, agency, and real-world impact.
NALLASOPARA, MAHARASHTRA — March 26, 2026
Walk into the PADH AI Expo expecting a typical school science fair, and you’ll leave with a completely different picture.
There are no poster boards. No rehearsed speeches. No students nervously reciting facts they memorized the night before. Instead, a girl is showing a local shopkeeper how her AI tool could help him track inventory. A group of boys has built something for elderly care at home — not a concept, an actual working prototype. Another team is putting together personalized learning tools for their classmates.
It takes a minute to register: this isn’t an exhibition. These kids are solving real problems.
What’s happening at St. Willibrord?
The PADH AI Expo is part of the larger NASO Expo series, hosted by St. Willibrord High School and Junior College in Nallasopara — an institution run by the St. Willibrord Group of Schools. Over 160 students have set up 48 stalls, and what they’re showcasing isn’t academic work dressed up for display. It’s rooted in the daily lives of the people around them — local vendors, families, students who need better learning support, and community gaps that nobody else has gotten around to fixing.
The school’s guiding idea, championed by Willibrord George who leads the NASO Expo series, is almost disarmingly simple: stop underestimating students. Trust them to think, trust them to build, trust them to figure out what needs fixing and go do something about it.
Why this feels different
For years, AI in schools has been a cautious conversation — should students use it, will it replace learning, is it too soon? At St. Willibrord, that debate feels oddly outdated. The students aren’t debating whether to use AI. They’ve moved past that. The question they’re asking now is: what problem can I actually solve with this?
That shift — from “can I use this?” to “what can I build with this?” — is the real story here.
What educators are noticing
School leaders from across India have been turning up, and not just to watch. They’re trying to understand what’s different about this place. The contrast is hard to ignore:
| From | To |
|---|---|
| Learning about the world | Engaging with the world |
| Consuming technology | Directing technology |
| Classroom exercises | Community impact |
Most schools still treat technology as something to be studied. Here, students are pointing it at real problems and seeing what comes out.
Event Details
- Dates: March 27–28, 2026
- Time: 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
- Venue: St. Willibrord High School, Topaz Center, Tulinj Road, Nallasopara East
- Entry: Free (QR-based registration at venue)
The bigger question
We spend a lot of time asking what the future of education should look like. Maybe a better question is why we’re still treating it as something that needs to be designed from the top down, rather than built — right now, by students who already have the tools and the ideas — from the ground up.
In Nallasopara, a school figured that out. And 160 students showed up to prove it.