The Government of India has entered the strategy phase to include artificial intelligence (AI) into teaching and learning across education in the 2026-27 academic year.

The move signals that AI and computational thinking will be core skills under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the updated National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023. Stakeholders, including the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), are finalising frameworks and materials to support the rollout.

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Policy Shift and Implementation Roadmap

“The curriculum will start with students from Class 3 onwards, with AI treated as a basic universal skill rather than a specialised subject. The plan aligns AI teaching with other foundational learning components and is designed to ensure broad inclusivity.”

-Department of School Education & Literacy officials.

Expert consultations have involved representatives from CBSE, NCERT, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti.

The government has emphasised teacher preparation as central to the reform, with training programmes expected through national initiatives such as NISHTHA, the flagship teacher capacity-building scheme. Digital resources, handbooks, and instructional materials are scheduled for release in 2026-27.

Additional preparatory programmes such as the SOAR (Skilling for AI Readiness) initiative have been launched to build AI awareness and skills among students and teachers, reflecting a broader shift toward technology-enabled learning.

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Goals, Challenges and Impact

The government says introducing an AI curriculum is a strategic step toward equipping students with future-ready competencies and advancing the goals of the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.

Industry experts believe that AI literacy will help prepare learners for a technology-driven economy and bridge educational gaps between regions.

Experts say embedding AI at the early stages may pose challenges, including teacher preparedness and infrastructure disparities, but access across rural and urban institutions will help establish uniformity and ease. Past government data show the existence of pilot AI modules in some CBSE schools and the need to scale them into a nationwide model.

The initiative reflects a broader global trend toward incorporating technology into classroom instruction, as seen in other countries’ AI education frameworks.