India's National AI & Computational Thinking Curriculum — Mandatory From Class 3, Starting 2026-27

Following an October 29, 2025 stakeholder consultation among CBSE, NCERT, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti and outside experts, India's Department of School Education and Literacy unveiled a framework making AI and Computational Thinking (AI&CT) part of the curriculum from Class 3, aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.

Implementation begins with Classes 3-8 in the 2026-27 academic session, extending to Classes 9-10 in 2027-28. Over 18,000 CBSE schools already offer a 15-hour AI skill module from Class 6 onward, which remains an elective for Classes 9-12. Younger grades focus on AI literacy and ethics under an 'AI for Public Good' framing, while senior grades add coding and natural-language-processing skills.

Because more than one crore (10 million-plus) teachers nationwide will need reorientation, the government is routing training through the existing NISHTHA teacher-development programme using video-based, grade-specific modules, with learning materials targeted for completion by December 2025.

Caveat: as of publication the initiative is a policy mandate and curriculum framework rather than a programme with measured learning outcomes. No evaluation design or baseline/outcome data has yet been published, and delivery quality will vary enormously across India's public school system.

Read the full analysis: https://www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/curriculum-on-ai-and-computational-thinking-ct-for-class-3-onwards