Education Ministry Launches New AI Curriculum For Classes 3 To 8 As Part Of Mathematics Syllabus

Last Updated:April 01, 2026, 7:31 PM IST

The ministry of education said the aim of this curriculum, focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and computational thinking, is to replace rote learning with critical thought

The education ministry launched a new AI curriculum for classes 3 to 8 on April 1, 2026. (Image: News18)

In a move to modernise India’s classrooms, the education ministry on Wednesday launched a new AI curriculum for classes 3 to 8, as part of the mathematics syllabus.

The ministry of education said the aim of this curriculum focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and computational thinking is to replace rote learning with critical thought.

It said the pioneering curriculum has been launched on April 1 to mark the first day of the academic year. The initiative represents a strategic shift by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to integrate advanced technologies in India’s classrooms.

According to the ministry, the programme – compulsory for all students of classes 3 to 8 – will be extended to classes 9 and 10 next year. It aims to transition learners from traditional rote memorisation toward the high-level cognitive demands of critical and design thinking.

“We have prepared students and teachers handbooks, wherein computational thinking has been integrated with the chapters of the existing NCERT maths and TWAU (The World Around Us) books,” the CBSE said.

The ministry said the curriculum was developed by a specialised AI committee, which met nine times and received extensive support under the chairmanship of IIT professor Karthik Raman. To ensure academic rigour and pedagogical alignment, the entire syllabus and the accompanying textbooks have been vetted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).

Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the initiative is built upon the dual philosophy of “AI for education, AI in education”, reflecting a commitment to bringing technological literacy into the national agenda.

“On April 1, which is the first day of the academic year, the CBSE launched this curriculum after understanding the use of AI in education. India’s education family and academic community has brought AI into its agenda. We need to understand the primary use of AI. Technology driven computing has been accepted and integrated by India, and it’s not at all new for us. India is only using AI now in a contextualised manner to be put in a structure,” Pradhan said.

Officials said this curriculum is essential for preparing a generation for a future where machines and human intelligence coexist. CBSE chairperson Rahul Singh said the focus is on making students independent thinkers from a data perspective, rather than making them dependent on devices.

“This curriculum will be included in the syllabus of classes 3 to 8 and, for classes 9 and 10, it will be brought next year. It focuses on making a student independent on thinking data wise and not letting them be dependent on a device. The AI committee met nine times and received a lot of support for this initiative under the chairmanship of IIT professor Karthik Raman,” Singh said.

Sanjay Kumar, secretary of school education and literacy, said the goal is to make children “future-ready” by helping them understand the distinction between machine and human thought processes.

“Our children will be future-ready through this curriculum. The books and curriculum are vetted by NCERT. Artificial intelligence is augmenting the intelligence that we have; it is important to understand how a machine is thinking and how a human mind is thinking. We are going to come up with something that will help teachers create a lesson plan using AI,” Kumar said.

Union minister Pradhan said to support this transition, the committee has prepared three core documents, including structured separate handbooks for both instructors and pupils. These are designed to ensure that teachers are not only delivering content but are also equipped to use AI tools for complex lesson planning.

He said this reflects the Centre’s broader intention to modernise educational infrastructure, which includes an ambitious plan to convert traditional school blackboards into interactive whiteboards. It is committed to widespread accessibility, with instructions for the NCERT to work with the CBSE to translate this curriculum into various regional languages.

“The road to development in our country is through the understanding of language; NCERT should translate this curriculum into the separate languages of SCERT by working with CBSE,” he said.

Union skill development and entrepreneurship minister Jayant Chaudhry said the “illiterate of the 21st century” will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot “learn, unlearn, and relearn”.

“The illiterate of the 21st century are not those who cannot read, write but someone who can’t learn, unlearn and relearn. AI is already here, it’s not in the future,” Chaudhary said.

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