Prime Highlights
- Number of CBSE schools teaching the AI elective in Class 9 increased from 235 in 2019–20 to 4,543 in 2024–25, a whopping 1,833% increase.
- Student numbers increased from 15,645 to 469,454 in Class 9 AI during the same timeframe, a 2,900% increase.
Key Fact
- Class 11 AI classes grew from 80 in 2020–21 to 944 in 2024–25—a 1,080% increase.
- CBSE collaborated with Intel, IBM and academia to create curriculum, reskill teachers and implement hands-on AI modules.
Key Background
Since the academic year 2019–20, Artificial Intelligence has become an optional electing for Class 9 and subsequently in Class 11 as part of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum. It goes in sync with India’s Digital India and Skill India policy overall to equip students with future computing competency, data literacy and algorithmic thinking skills. The AI electing teaches core concepts like machine learning fundamentals, neural networks, data ethics and practical applications.
Institutional adoption has picked up pace enormously. Within five years, AI coverage in Class 9 schools under the CBSE increased from 235 to 4,543. Class 11 coverage from 80 to 944. Student enrollment has similarly trended: from 15,645 students in the first year to 469,454 for 2024–25 in Class 9, and from 2,048 to 33,933 for Class 11. This growth reflects institutional preparedness as much as robust student demand for modern skills topics.
In order to provide quality delivery, the Ministry of Education formed partnerships with top tech companies and education institutions. Intel and IBM, among others, helped with curriculum framing, case studies, hands‑on toolkits and lab‑based projects. CBSE also conducted teachers’ training workshops, virtual labs and repository resources that enabled teachers to gain mastery in AI pedagogy and test methodology. The programs focus on ethical AI practices, data privacy and social impact besides technical capabilities.
In the future, educators envision the AI elective as a necessary complement to the traditional STEM curriculum. Intelligent tutoring systems, school‑society Olympiads and hackathons are all being employed by schools to build problem‑solving and innovative abilities. As India looks to create an AI‑literate generation, CBSE’s scalable model serves as a model to integrate new technologies into secondary education—narrowing the distance between classroom learning and the demands of a rapidly changing digital economy.
