AI To Become Part of School Curriculum From Class 3 By 2026: Education Ministry

Nagpur: The Ministry of Education on Thursday announced that a curriculum in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Computational Thinking (CT) would be introduced in schools from Class 3 in the academic session 2026-27. The initiative is aligned with the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for School Education 2023 and the National Education Policy 2020.In a stakeholder consultation held on Wednesday, involving the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, and the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, the department outlined a roadmap for the design and rollout of the new curriculum.Sanjay Kumar, secretary (school education & literacy), said, "Education in AI should be treated as a basic universal skill linked to the world around us." He underlined that the curriculum must be broad-based, inclusive, and student-centric.The department said key elements would include the integration of AI and CT under the NCF SE; time allocation and resources for the syllabus; digital and handbook-based learning materials; and a teacher-training module through the NISHTHA framework. These materials and training modules are targeted for completion by December 2025.A committee chaired by Karthik Raman of IIT Madras has been constituted by the CBSE to shape the AI and CT curriculum.The department emphasized that teacher readiness and inclusive learning models are central to rollout success.