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Google DeepMind Tests Gemini's Learning Impact Across 12 Sierra Leone Schools

June 10, 2026 at 15:04 EDT

Education
Foundation Models

Google DeepMind on June 10, 2026, published the results of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) using Gemini's "Guided Learning" feature in Sierra Leone, reporting that deploying AI as a support for teachers rather than a replacement produced sizable gains in math outcomes. The trial was run in partnership with Fab AI and the Sierra Leone Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education across 12 schools in Port Loko District.

Sierra Leone RCT · Google DeepMind × Fab AI

AI as a "pedagogical partner" lifted math scores in classrooms with severe teacher shortages

A randomized controlled trial with 1,763 grade 7-8 students found that students using Gemini's Guided Learning scored 0.258 standard deviations higher in math — the equivalent of years of typical progress.

+0.258

standard deviations math gain vs. control group

69%

of students met or exceeded their usage target

1,763

students · 12 schools · 48 classrooms · 8 weeks

Uptake was off the charts

Voluntary ed-tech tools typically reach ~5% usage. This trial hit 69% — over 13× higher.

~5%

Typical ed-tech

69%

Guided Learning

A shift toward real understanding

Student queries aimed at understanding how to solve a problem — rather than just finding the answer — climbed over the trial.

Start

68%

→

End

90%

Learning equivalent

1.2–1.7 years

of typical progress in low- and middle-income countries

With heavy use

1.8–2.5 years

in classes where teachers integrated it most

The backdrop: a system stretched thin

A free-education policy added 700,000 students in 2018-2019, deepening shortages that the AI tool was tested against.

58:1

students per trained teacher nationally — worse in rural areas

Limited

connectivity and data costs constrain traditional web search

Where supporters see promise

Accessible in low-connectivity settings
Strong gains in student engagement
Frames AI as partner, not teacher replacement

Open challenges

Risk of AI hallucinations
Need for teacher training
Sustainability of power and devices; cultural fit

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