The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), under the Ministry of Education’s mandate, have finalised and launched the Artificial Intelligence and Computational Thinking (AI+CT) curriculum for Classes 3 to 8 with implementation beginning in academic year 2026-27. Classes 9-10 follow in 2027-28. The curriculum was developed by an expert committee led by Professor Karthik Raman (IIT Madras) and aligns with the National Education Policy 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023.
The 2026-27 rollout confirmed that CBSE has formally designated “Computational Thinking and Understanding Artificial Intelligence” as the official teacher training theme for the academic year, with CBSE-affiliated schools conducting workshops, district-level training programmes, and interdisciplinary teaching sessions. NISHTHA (the national teacher training platform) faces its largest operational challenge: training over 10 million teachers for AI+CT delivery. Digital resources, handbooks, and instructional materials are targeted for completion by end-2026 to support the rollout.
Implementation constraints are significant: approximately 50% of Indian schools lack basic digital infrastructure (electricity, internet, computers). To address this, “unplugged learning” activities that teach AI concepts without devices are included in the curriculum framework, making it accessible in resource-constrained settings. The government confirmed the rollout is on schedule but acknowledged that equitable delivery at scale across urban and rural schools remains the central challenge.