Parliament Question: Promotion of Artificial Intelligence-Enable in School Learning

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3875 ANSWERED ON 16/03/2026 Promotion of Artificial Intelligence-Enable in School Learning 3875. Shri Mohite Patil Dhairyasheel Rajsinh: Smt. Supriya Sule: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government is aware that during the last decade, several national digital platforms, policy initiatives and capacity-building programmes have been introduced to promote artificial intelligence-enabled learning at the school level, if so, the details thereof; (b) the details of Government and aided schools in Maharashtra that have been covered under such AI-enabled education initiatives, district-wise; (c) whether the Government has assessed disparities in access to digital infrastructure, AI-based learning tools and trained teachers between urban schools and rural, tribal and aspirational districts in Maharashtra and if so, the details thereof; (d) whether adequate funds, teacher training programmes and language-appropriate digital content have been provided to State-run schools to effectively integrate AI-enabled learning; and (e) the details of corrective steps proposed to ensure equitable, outcome-driven and inclusive implementation of AI-enabled school education across Maharashtra, rather than its concentration in select urban or pilot schools? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY) (a) to (e) Education is part of the Concurrent List of the Constitution and most of the Government schools are under the administration of the State Government and its bodies. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 emphasises digital learning, coding, AI awareness and emerging technologies in school education. The Ministry of Education has undertaken several initiatives to promote Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Computational Thinking (CT) in school education over the years. The initiatives aim to enhance the quality of education by integrating technology into teaching and learning processes. NCERT textbooks such as Computer Science (Class XI, Chapter 3) and Informatics Practices (Class XI, Chapter 2) include concepts related to AI, IoT and other emerging technologies. The States/UTs are also working on bringing emerging technologies including AI in their academic framework. Additionally, Artificial Intelligence and Coding have been introduced as skill subjects at the secondary and senior secondary levels in collaboration with the Central Board of Secondary Education. Digital learning is further supported through national platforms such as DIKSHA, SWAYAM and PM eVidya, along with capacity-building programmes, teacher training and development of digital content and AI awareness modules to enhance innovation and problem-solving skills among students.Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA) is the Nation’s One Nation, One Digital platform for providing quality e-content for school education in States/UTs, including AI-related courses and digital learning. Initiatives such as DIKSHA and PM e-Vidya are accessible to schools across the country, including tribal and aspirational districts of Maharashtra. Under the PM eVidya 200 DTH TV Channels initiative, the State of Maharashtra has been allotted five dedicated channels (MH PM eVIDYA 113–117), managed by SCERT Maharashtra. The State has contributed 6,000+ video content, 278 Digital Textbooks and 13,282 e-contents. Details of the digital infrastructure covering urban, rural and aspirational districts of Maharashtra has been made available as Annexure I. DIKSHA also offers several AI-enabled features to enhance learning and accessibility. The Ask DIKSHA (Chat with Books) assistant answers textbook-aligned queries with source references (book name and page number) and supports voice input and read-aloud in 12 languages (Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu). The Video Keyword Search feature helps users locate key learning concepts within videos, even with misspelt search phrases or language variations. The Read Aloud function converts on-screen text into natural speech in Hindi and English with adjustable speed and voice options, integrated with Bhashini AI model. Additionally, AI-based Translation enables the DIKSHA app and portal interface and learning resources to be translated into 22 scheduled Indian languages using BHASHINI, improving accessibility across States/UTs. The platform also includes e-Jaadui Pitara, a digital initiative for parents, teachers and children aged 3-8, offering play-based learning resources and AI-powered assistance through three bots Katha Sakhi, Teacher Tara and Parent Tara. The Ministry of Education (MoE) is implementing a National Mission to improve learning outcomes at the School Education level through an integrated teacher training programme called ‘National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement’ (NISHTHA). This includes training programmes that focus on foundational AI concepts, AI ethics, data literacy and the practical use of AI tools for lesson planning and assessments. Over 46,000 teachers have participated in AI awareness workshops and training through DIKSHA. To ensure equitable and inclusive implementation of AI-enabled education across the country, the Ministry has undertaken several key initiatives such as developing national digital platforms and open educational resources accessible to all schools, promoting teacher training and capacity- building programmes on emerging technologies including AI, integrating AI, coding and computational thinking into school curricula and encouraging innovation, research and project- based learning for the responsible use of AI in education, thereby ensuring that the benefits of AI- enabled learning reach students across urban, rural, tribal and aspirational districts. Additionally, the Government of India, in the Budget 2025, has announced provision of broadband connectivity to all Government Secondary schools in rural areas, including 303 schools from Maharashtra in phase 1, under the ‘BharatNet’ project to enhance digital infrastructure in remote areas by BSNL in a phased manner. *****Annexure I ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (A) TO (E) OF THE REPLY OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3875 RAISED BY SHRI MOHITE PATIL DHAIRYASHEEL RAJSINH & SMT. SUPRIYA SULE HON’BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT ANSWERED ON 16.03.2026 REGARDING “PROMOTION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE- ENABLE IN SCHOOL LEARNING”. Digital Infra-in Aspirational District (2025-26) District Smart Classroom ICT Lab Digital Library Dharashiv 74 36 70 Washim 48 16 33 Gadchiroli 85 52 51 Nandurbar 95 53 37 Digital Infra-in Rural/Urban (2025-26) District Smart Classroom ICT Lab Digital Library Maharashtra 3372 1589 2189 Rural 2420 891 1981 Urban 912 697 208 Digital Infra-in Tribal District (2025-26) District Smart Classroom ICT Lab Digital Library Chandrapur 88 26 63 Gadchiroli 85 52 51 Bhandara 57 32 32 Gondia 78 36 61 Nagpur 68 30 26 Amravati 90 44 70 Yavatmal 127 65 97 Dhule 32 15 11 Nandurbar 95 53 37 Jalgaon 87 28 48 Nashik 248 90 124 Palghar 173 76 102 Thane 112 93 49