India’s Ministry of Education has mandated AI curriculum in all schools beginning with Grade 3, aligned with the National Education Policy 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023. Learning materials, teacher guides, and digital content were scheduled for completion by December 2025. Teachers are being trained through NISHTHA, the national teacher training programme. A Centre of Excellence in AI for Education has been proposed with a dedicated allocation of approximately Rs.500 crores (roughly $60 million USD) under the Union Budget 2025–26. This is the most significant binding, funded, national AI curriculum mandate identified globally as of March 2026.
Who it affects: All students from Grade 3 upward across India’s national school system. Teachers across all government schools face mandatory training under NISHTHA.
What is notably missing: The ethics dimension is not clearly mandated. The curriculum emphasis appears to be on AI use and AI skills rather than critical engagement with AI systems. Implementation quality will vary significantly across India’s diverse state systems; a national mandate does not guarantee uniform delivery. Teacher training through NISHTHA has historically faced capacity constraints at scale.