Parliament Question: AI in Education

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 4132 ANSWERED ON 18.08.2025 Al in Education

4132. Shri Jagdambika Pal:

Will the Minister of Education be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government plans to integrate Artificial Intelligence into the teaching pedagogy under policies such as the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 and if so, details thereof;

(b) whether the subjects such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning have been included in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and if so, details thereof;

(c) whether the Government has envisioned the role to be played by Artificial Intelligence in the future of education, if so, the details thereof; and

(d) whether the Government plans to have any special provisions to improve digital education access to schools in aspirational districts, especially in Uttar Pradesh and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR)

(a) to (d): Government of India launched NEP 2020 with an aim for holistic development of students. NEP 2020 envisions introduction of contemporary subjects such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Design Thinking, Holistic Health, Organic Living, Environmental Education, Global Citizenship Education (GCED), etc. at relevant stages to develop these various important skills in students at all levels.

In alignment with the vision of NEP 2020, several steps have been taken by the Government, with an aim to equip students with AI related skills.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), offers AI as a 15-hour skill module from Class VI onwards. CBSE also offers AI as an optional subject from class IX – XII.

Further, AI is being utilized to make education more inclusive through the initiative of DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing). An initiative of National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), DIKSHA has integrated AI based features such as: AI based key-word search enablement in Videos to easily filter the relevant concepts within videos, Read- aloud feature which can help visually impaired students.The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship launched a national level initiative SOAR (Skilling for AI Readiness), which aims to embed AI awareness and foundational skills among school students (Classes 6–12) and to build AI literacy among educators. SOAR comprises three progressive 15-hour modules for students—AI to be Aware, AI to Acquire, and AI to Aspire—and one independent 45-hour module for teachers titled AI for Educators. The program introduces concepts such as AI basics, generative AI, AI in daily life, programming fundamentals, ethics, cybersecurity and future career opportunities.

To promote Al in technical education, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has added Al-related subjects to IT programs. Special Al courses are designed for non-eomputer science branches like Mechanical, Civil, and Electrical Engineering to integrate AI applications in their fields. In 2021, AICTE prepared a model curriculum for Al and Data Science. To help faculty keep up with new technologies, AICTE is also running Faculty Development Programmes in Al and other emerging fields.

Further, with an objective of improving accessibility to Al knowledge and Skills, the Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM) online platform of the Ministry of Education has delivered over 110 free AI-related courses, curated by premier institutions such as the IITs, IISc among others. As on date, more than 41.2 lakh students have enrolled in these courses.

Government of India has also approved the establishment of three Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in Artificial Intelligence, focusing on health, sustainable cities, and agriculture, with a total financial outlay of Rs. 990.00 crore for the period FY 2023-24 to FY 2027-28. The Budget 2025- 26 has also provided for an AI CoE in the field of Education.

Government of India launched the "IndiaAI" Mission, a strategic initiative to establish a robust and inclusive Al ecosystem that aligns with the country's development goals. This mission is driven by a vision to position India as a global leader in artificial intelligence by focusing on seven foundational pillars namely- IndiaAI Compute Capacity, IndiaAI Innovation Center

(IAIC), IndiaAl Dataset Platform, IndiaAl Application Development Initiative (IADI), IndiaAI Future Skills, IndiaAl Startup Financing, Safe & Trusted AI.

Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme has been implemented in partnership with all the States and UTs. The ICT and Digital Initiatives component of Samagra Shiksha covers Government and Government Aided Schools having classes VI to XII. Under this component financial assistance is provided for establishing ICT Labs and Smart Classrooms in schools. The non- recurring/recurring grant under ‘ICT and Digital Initiatives’ is available to the States and UTs.

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