Education Ministry Launches AI Curriculum for Classes 3-8, Focus on Critical Thinking

• The Education Ministry introduced a new AI curriculum for classes 3 to 8, integrated into the mathematics syllabus, aiming to modernize India’s classrooms.
• The initiative, launched on April 1, seeks to replace rote learning with critical and design thinking, preparing students for a future where human and machine intelligence coexist.
• The program will be compulsory for students in classes 3-8 and will extend to classes 9 and 10 next year, with handbooks prepared for both students and teachers.
• Developed by a specialized AI committee chaired by IIT professor Karthik Raman and vetted by NCERT, the curriculum aligns with NEP 2020 and NCF 2023.
• Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan emphasized the dual philosophy of “AI for education, AI in education” and the goal to make students independent thinkers.