The Indian government is set to incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the school curriculum for students starting from Class III in the academic year 2026-27. This initiative is being hailed by officials as a “strategic national move” to prepare India’s future workforce for an AI-driven landscape.
Sanjay Kumar, the school education secretary, announced that the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is currently developing a framework to integrate AI education across all grades. He emphasized the challenge of reaching over one crore teachers nationwide to equip them with the necessary training to teach AI concepts. Drawing comparisons with international examples such as China and the United States, Kumar noted the urgency of this initiative, stating, “We need to move fast so that students and teachers are properly aligned with this technology over the next two to three years.”
A pilot project is already in progress, allowing teachers to utilize AI tools for crafting lesson plans. Kumar stated, “Our objective is to prepare both the learner and the teacher for the digital economy.” This move aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which advocates for the inclusion of AI, the Internet of Things (IoT), and emerging technologies in educational frameworks. Currently, 18,839 CBSE schools are offering AI as a skill subject for students from Class VI onwards through a 15-hour module, while Classes IX to XII provide AI as an optional subject. Since its introduction in 2019, over 10,000 teachers have received training through partnerships with companies like Intel, IBM, and NIELIT.
Student enrollment in AI courses has seen remarkable growth. This year, 7.9 lakh students from Classes IX to X and more than 50,000 from Classes XI to XII chose AI, a significant increase from about 15,000 and 2,000 students, respectively, when the subject was first introduced.
Experts highlight that AI is evolving from being merely a buzzword to a necessary competency as educational institutions increasingly adopt technology-driven learning approaches. At the release of a NITI Aayog report examining AI’s impact on the job market, CEO B V R Subrahmanyam cautioned that India’s IT workforce, currently numbering 7.5 million, could decline to six million by 2030 without significant reorientation and upskilling efforts. “AI is changing work, workers, and the workplace. Around two million traditional jobs could be displaced, but eight million new roles may emerge if we create the right ecosystem,” he remarked.
The report also proposed the establishment of an AI Talent Mission, aiming to position India as a global talent hub, forecasting a potential creation of 10 million IT jobs and 3.1 million customer service roles by 2030 through coordinated actions. “The opportunity is massive but distributed—across healthcare, education, logistics, and creative industries,” it stated.
A senior CBSE official noted the importance of making AI a foundational aspect of education. “AI should not remain a specialised elective but a basic literacy. When today’s third grader graduates in 2035, AI will not be an advantage—it will be a necessity,” he remarked.
