Lok Sabha Question No. 1324 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-08
Subject: Artificial Intelligence in Rural Government Schools
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Dr. M P Abdussamad Samadani

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1324 ANSWERED ON 08.12.2025

## Artificial Intelligence in Rural Government Schools

## 1324. Dr. M P Abdussamad Samadani:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has formulated a national framework or curriculum guidelines for  introducing  Artificial  Intelligence  (AI)  education  at  the  school  level  under  the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  of  modules,  learning  outcomes  and  teacher-training  components proposed for Classes 6-12;
- (c) whether  the  Central  Board  of  Secondary  Education  (CBSE)  and  other  school  boards have  been  directed to include AI  literacy, ethical use of AI  and  foundational computational thinking in their syllabi, if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government proposes to collaborate with research institutions to develop age-appropriate AI learning tools and digital resources for schools in the country, if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  ensure  equitable  access  to  AI  education  for students  in  rural,  tribal,  and  Government  schools  including  availability  of  devices, teachers and digital infrastructure in the country?

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## ANSWER (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a)  to  (e):  The  National  Education  Policy  (NEP)  2020  has  emphasized  the  importance  of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its role in school curriculum. Under 'Curricular Integration of Essential  Subjects,  Skills,  and  Capacities'  the  policy  mentions  at  para  4.24  that  concerted curricular  and  pedagogical  initiatives,  including  the  introduction  of  contemporary  subjects such as Artificial Intelligence, Design Thinking, Holistic Health, Organic Living, Environmental Education, Global Citizenship Education (GCED), etc. at relevant stages will be undertaken to develop these various important skills in students at all levels.

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has constituted two committees - one for developing syllabus and textbooks for Computer Science and the other for  Foundations  and  Methods  of  Artificial  Intelligence  for  Grades  11  and  12  with  the membership  from  Indian  Institute  of  Technology ( IITs),  Central  Board  of  Secondary Education  (CBSE),  and  relevant  Research  institutions  and  Universities  at  the  national  and international level.

The existing NCERT textbooks of Computer Science class XI (Chapter 3) (https://ncert.nic.in/textbook.php?kecs1=ps-11) and Informatics Practices class XI (Chapter 2) (https://ncert.nic.in/textbook.php?keip1=ps-8)  talk  about  AI,  Internet  of  Things  (IoT)  and other emerging technologies. NCERT has also included a project on Animation and Games in the vocational education textbook for Grade 6. Moreover, NCERT collaborates with EdTech companies  and  other  such  organizations  to  strengthen  the  digital  learning  ecosystem  on DIKSHA  (Digital  Infrastructure  for  Knowledge  Sharing).  The  schools  affiliated  to  CBSE follows  NCERT  textbooks  and  model  syllabus.  CBSE  offers  a  skill  module  on  Artificial Intelligence for classes VI-VIII and as an optional skill-based subject in classes IX-XII.

The  Government  of  India  has  launched  the  SOAR  (Skilling  for  AI  Readiness),  a  national initiative  in  alignment  with  the  objectives  of  NEP  2020,  the  National  Programme  on  AI (NPAI)  Skilling  Framework  and  Viksit  Bharat  2047  vision  of  digital  empowerment  and inclusive growth. SOAR is aimed at embedding AI awareness and foundational competencies among  school  students  (Classes  6-12)  and  building  AI  literacy  among  educators.  The programme seeks to bridge the digital  divide  by  ensuring  equitable  access  to  AI  education across geographies, thereby supporting the national agenda of inclusive, future-ready skilling. The SOAR curriculum comprises four progressive National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF)-aligned modules. For students of classes 6 to 12, three distinct micro-credentials: (i) AI  to  be  Aware,  (ii)  AI  to  Acquire,  and  (iii)  AI  to  Aspire,  are  offered,  each  of  15  hours duration,  amounting  to  45  hours  in  total.  These  cover  fundamental  AI  concepts,  practical programming, ethical and responsible AI usage, and career opportunities in technology. For educators, one 45-hour module titled AI for Educators provides comprehensive training in AI concepts, pedagogical strategies, and practical classroom application.

Jawahar  Navodaya  Vidyalayas  (JNVs),  mostly  are  located  in  rural  areas,  have  established smart  classrooms,  along  with  reliable  internet  connectivity  with  each  Navodaya  Vidyalaya having  a  minimum  of  40  desktop  computers  to  support  Information  and  Communication Technology (ICT) enabled education. The posts of TGT & PGT Computer Science have also been sanctioned for Navodaya Vidyalayas.

The  National  Education  Society  for  Tribal  Students  (NESTS)  has  introduced  Artificial Intelligence  (AI)  education  at  the  school  level  in  alignment  with  the  CBSE  curriculum  for Classes IX to XII. NESTS is taking multiple steps to ensure AI literacy, ethical use of AI, and foundational computational thinking among students in Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS).  These  steps  include  integration  of  AI  &  emerging  technologies  as  vocational subjects to strengthen digital readiness among tribal students; establishing of 400 Skill Labs under Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP)

programme  in  200  EMRS  campuses;  introduction  of  AI  as  a  sixth  skill  subject;  smart classrooms are set up in partnership with ERNET, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). Further,  the  Ministry  of  Education,  Government  of  India  implements  ICT  and  Digital initiatives under Samagra Shiksha, aligned with NEP 2020. These initiatives aim to enhance the quality of education by integrating technology into learning and teaching processes. Under Samagra  Shiksha,  funding  is  provided  for  setting  up  of  ICT  labs  in  Schools  and  Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs). To facilitate online learning for all, a comprehensive initiative called 'PM eVidya' was initiated as part of 'Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan' on 17th May, 2020, which unifies all efforts related to digital/online/on-air education to enable multi-mode access  to  education  across  the  country.  It  includes  200  DTH  TV  Channels  allotted  to States/Union  Territories  (UTs)/Autonomous  Organizations  (ABs)/other  Ministries  and  400 Radio  channels  to  provide  supplementary  education  as  per  requirement  in  various  Indian languages for classes 1-12. DIKSHA is the Nation's digital platform for providing quality econtent for school education in States/UTs along with QR coded Energised Textbooks (ETBs) for all grades (One Nation, One Digital platform). As a participant in  DIKSHA, States/UTs/ABs  have  generated  and  contributed  over  3.69  lakh+  content  in  local/regional languages.

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