In a landmark step towards making India’s education system future-ready, the Ministry of Education has announced the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Computational Thinking (CT) into the national school curriculum from Class 3 onwards, beginning in the 2026–27 academic year.

The initiative, led by the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSE&L), aims to make AI a foundational universal skill, woven into the theme “The World Around Us.” It is being developed under the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023, in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

The Ministry is working in close coordination with CBSE, NCERT, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), and state education departments to ensure a cohesive rollout. An expert committee chaired by Professor Karthik Raman of IIT Madras has been constituted by CBSE to design the AI and CT curriculum.

Emphasising the theme of “AI for Public Good”, the curriculum will focus not only on technical proficiency but also on ethics, inclusivity, and responsible innovation. The approach seeks to nurture creativity, problem-solving, and social awareness in young learners.

Teacher empowerment forms a central pillar of the initiative. The Ministry will implement comprehensive training through NISHTHA and other national-level programmes, supported by NCERT-developed handbooks and digital learning resources.

A joint coordination committee between NCERT and CBSE will oversee quality assurance and ensure the smooth integration of AI and CT modules across schools.

By embedding AI and Computational Thinking from the foundational stage, the Ministry envisions preparing a generation of learners equipped with the cognitive, ethical, and technological skills needed to thrive in an increasingly digital and interconnected world.

Inputs from India today

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