New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has set up an expert committee chaired by Prof. Karthik Raman of IIT Madras to develop a curriculum on Artificial Intelligence and Computational Thinking (AI & CT) for school students, officials said.

The move aligns with the government's plan to introduce AI education in all schools from Class 3 onwards starting in the 2026-27 academic year.

A stakeholder consultation held on Wednesday brought together experts from CBSE, NCERT, KVS, NVS, and other institutions to discuss the framework.

School Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar said the AI & CT curriculum aims to strengthen concepts of learning, thinking, and teaching, expanding towards the use of AI for public good. “This marks a significant step towards the ethical use of AI to solve complex challenges, with the technology being introduced from the foundational stage,” he noted.

He added that the curriculum must be broad-based, inclusive, and aligned with the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023, emphasising that “every child's distinct potential is our priority.”

Kumar had earlier said AI education should be treated as a basic universal skill linked to the The World Around Us (TWAU) theme.

Currently, over 18,000 CBSE schools offer AI as a skill subject from Class 6 through a 15-hour module, while Classes 9-12 have it as an optional subject.