Chennai: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) will launch free online courses in artificial intelligence (AI) for school teachers from Monday, aimed at equipping them with skills to integrate the technology into classroom teaching.

The programme is being offered under the Union government's Swayam Plus initiative, which earlier introduced six free short-term courses in subjects including physics, chemistry, accounting and even cricket analysis. Each course runs for 45 days, and the second batch of classes is set to begin tomorrow, officials said.

According to IIT Madras, the AI module will help teachers understand how to effectively use artificial intelligence tools to improve the teaching-learning process. The institute has already rolled out AI education for the general public under the same platform.

Applications for the free courses are open to both teachers and students until September 30 on the website https://swayam-plus.swayam2.ac.in

The “IIT for All” project, through which these programmes are being implemented, seeks to democratise access to high-quality technical education and enable wider participation in the digital economy, the institute added.