NEW DELHI, October 26, 2026: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has introduced a 20-hour introductory module on Computational Thinking (CT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for students in Classes 9 to 12, aiming to strengthen digital literacy, critical thinking and responsible technology use.
Released on October 23, the module has been developed in consultation with faculty members from the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) Madras and Jodhpur. Aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, it is designed for students without prior knowledge of artificial intelligence.
The programme adopts an activity-based learning approach, combining classroom discussions, practical exercises, experimentation and reflection. Its activities can be conducted with or without digital devices, allowing schools with varying levels of technological infrastructure to introduce students to AI concepts.
The curriculum is organised into five units covering AI applications in everyday life, how machines learn from data, the limitations of AI systems, data privacy and the effective use of modern AI tools. Students will also learn to identify deepfakes, recognise misinformation and critically assess AI-generated responses before relying on or sharing them.
A key focus of the module is the ethical and safe use of emerging technologies. Students will be encouraged to understand data privacy, fairness and digital safety while developing the ability to distinguish between reliable information and potentially misleading AI-generated content.
The module also emphasises that artificial intelligence should support, rather than replace, independent thinking and human judgement. Through practical activities, learners will explore how the quality of training data, the clarity of instructions and the limitations of AI models can influence their outputs.
The initiative marks a step towards introducing structured AI literacy at the secondary and senior secondary levels. By combining technical awareness with ethical responsibility, NCERT aims to prepare students to engage more confidently and thoughtfully with technologies increasingly shaping education, workplaces and everyday life.
