Telangana to Introduce AI Education for Classes 1-9 in Government Schools

Mar 05, 2025, 12:40 IST

Hyderabad: The Telangana government is set to revolutionize school education by introducing Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a subject from Class 1. Beginning with the upcoming academic year, AI concepts will be integrated into mathematics textbooks for students from Class 1 to Class 9.

As per the initiative, AI-related content will span 2-3 pages for students in Classes 1-5 and 4-5 pages for those in Classes 6-9. A dedicated team, including an additional director from the school education department and subject experts from SCERT, is currently working on finalizing the curriculum. The syllabus, expected to be completed within 15-20 days, will cover fundamental topics such as the introduction to computers, the origins of AI, its present-day applications, and real-world examples. Notably, the CBSE board introduced AI education for students from Class 6 to Class 12 nearly four years ago.

Textbook Printing Put on Hold

Following this decision, the printing of free textbooks for government schools has been temporarily halted. Officials instructed printing agencies on February 28 to pause the process to accommodate the AI content revisions in mathematics textbooks.

Additionally, errors were found in the Telangana Statistics Report (Atlas), which was slated to be included in textbooks. Concerned about outdated information, SCERT officials opted to conduct a thorough review before resuming printing. As a result, the publication of all textbooks has been postponed. Only after a final review will the revised textbooks, including AI-related updates, be printed. The government provides free textbooks to approximately 2.2 million students across the state.

AI Tools to Enhance Learning in Government Schools

To further modernize education, the Telangana government has partnered with Bengaluru-based EkStep Foundation to introduce AI-powered tools in government schools. This collaboration aims to enhance learning methodologies and teaching effectiveness, ensuring students gain early exposure to AI and its applications.

This initiative represents a significant step towards integrating modern technology into Telangana’s education system, preparing students for the future with essential AI knowledge.