New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday said a dedicated Computational Thinking and Artificial Intelligence (AI) curriculum has been introduced for students from Classes III to VIII from the 2026-27 academic session, while the curriculum for Classes IX to XII has been finalised as part of efforts to integrate AI into school education.
Replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary said the curriculum has been developed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in collaboration with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
The curriculum focuses on developing logical reasoning, pattern recognition, algorithm design and data literacy, while promoting the responsible and ethical use of AI. According to the ministry, Computational Thinking has been positioned as the foundational competency to enable age-appropriate AI learning across school grades.
The government also said teacher handbooks and facilitator guides have been prepared to support implementation and are available on the CBSE website. Schools offering AI as a subject are required to ensure adequate infrastructure in accordance with the Board’s curriculum and affiliation norms.
The ministry also highlighted the Skilling for AI Readiness (SOAR) initiative launched by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship to build AI awareness among school students and teachers.
The programme includes three 15-hour modules for students of Classes VI to XII — AI to be Aware, AI to Acquire and AI to Aspire — covering AI fundamentals, generative AI, programming, ethics, cybersecurity and emerging career opportunities. It also includes a standalone 45-hour “AI for Educators” module aimed at strengthening AI literacy among teachers.
The government said the initiatives are aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which calls for the introduction of contemporary subjects such as Artificial Intelligence and coding at appropriate stages of school education. It also cited the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023, which emphasises the growing role of mathematics, computational thinking, AI, machine learning and data science in future education.
The Centre, however, clarified that while it has developed the curriculum framework, the establishment of AI and robotics laboratories in schools falls under the jurisdiction of state governments and Union Territories, as education is a subject on the Concurrent List of the Constitution.
