SDG 4: Quality Education | SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Institutions: Ministry of Education | Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) | National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)
The Department of School Education & Literacy (DoSE&L), Ministry of Education, has reaffirmed its commitment to integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Computational Thinking (CT) into the national school curriculum. This move treats AI education as a basic universal skill linked to the concept of “The World Around Us” (TWAU).
This initiative, which aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF SE) 2023, marks a nascent yet significant step toward ethical and future-ready education.
Key directives and timelines include:
Implementation Start: The introduction of AI and CT will begin from Grade 3 onwards, starting in the academic session 2026–27.
Curriculum Development: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has constituted an expert committee, chaired by Prof. Karthik Raman, IIT Madras, to develop the curriculum.
Resource Development: Development of resource materials, handbooks, and digital resources is targeted for completion by December 2025.
Teacher Training: NISHTHA’s teacher training modules and video-based resources will be the backbone of curriculum implementation, designed to be grade-specific and time-bound.
The goal is to reinforce the concept of learning, thinking, and teaching, and gradually expand toward the idea of “AI for Public Good,” organically embedding the ethical use of AI from the foundational stage.
This sweeping reform of the school curriculum is a direct policy response to the national need for digital skill development, ensuring that India’s future workforce is equipped with foundational literacy in AI. By embedding this skill from Grade 3, the Ministry of Education is laying the long-term foundation for the Viksit Bharat vision and strengthening India’s digital economy.
What is Computational Thinking (CT)?→ Computational Thinking (CT) is a problem-solving process that involves expressing problems and their solutions in a way that a computer could execute. It is characterized by four key techniques: decomposition (breaking down a problem), pattern recognition, abstraction (identifying general principles), and algorithms (developing step-by-step solutions). Integrating CT from Grade 3 aims to build foundational logical and problem-solving skills necessary for a career in technology and for understanding AI.
What is NISHTHA? → The National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA) is recognized as the world’s largest capacity-building teacher training program. Launched by the Ministry of Education in 2019, its core mission is to improve learning outcomes by building the competencies of teachers, school heads, and faculty across India.
NISHTHA empowers educators by focusing on holistic development and modern pedagogy, including learner-centered teaching, critical thinking, school-based assessment, and the integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Crucially, the training modules and existing infrastructure will form the backbone for implementing the new AI and Computational Thinking curriculum, ensuring that the educational system has the capacity to deliver the required skills from Grade 3 onwards.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How will the Ministry of Education ensure the large-scale NISHTHA training programs and the resource materials maintain high quality and effectiveness across diverse state and regional educational capacities for the 2026–27 rollout?
Follow the full news here: Curriculum on AI to be introduced in all schools from Class 3 onwards