.jpg)
AI in Education Gets a Major Push: IIT Madras Centre of Excellence Leads India's Digital Learning Mission
Artificial Intelligence is destined to make its way to Indian classrooms, having moved from research labs. The Ministry of Education has released new information about the government's embedding AI into school education, teacher training, and digital learning platforms through initiatives in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The update was shared by the Ministry of Education in a post on X. This was based on a written reply in the Lok Sabha by Dr. Sukanta Majumdar, Union Minister of State for Education. The government's approach aims to strengthen AI innovations and digital learning while preparing teachers for the technology-based classrooms.
AI Centre of Excellence Established at IIT Madras
Practice of the government's AI strategy commenced with the establishment of the AI Centre of Excellence (AI-CoE) for Education at IIT Madras.
According to the Ministry, the centre has been established in the service of the vision of "Make AI in India and Make AI Work for India." The Centre is expected to create AI-based learning and teaching tools for the enhancement of the teaching-learning process and educational assessment in a manner that is constructive and helpful to the aims of the NEP 2020. The initiative has also been designed to foster the integration of the academic, industrial, and policy-making sectors to develop large-scale and safe AI technology solutions for educational purposes.
AI Learning Solutions on the DIKSHA Platform
The DIKSHA platform, the flagship of the government’s digital learning initiatives, is now AI-enabled to some extent. The Ministry’s official data indicate:
- Completed sessions on DIKSHA are 579.41 crore.
- The number of users is 2.29 crore.
- Personalized adaptive learning through AI is now made available.
- AI and Computational Thinking resources are provided for students of Classes 3 to 8.
The platform seeks to personalize learners’ pathways, recommend relevant learning resources, and assist learners with digital resources, irrespective of their location.
AI-Ready Teachers Across India
The government’s AI roadmap goes beyond students. The capacity building of teachers has become another of the government’s central focuses. According to the Ministry:
- AI training has been organized by the NCERT for over 96,000 beneficiaries.
- CBSE has conducted 1,234 training programs with 64,775 trained teachers.
- The NMMT has conducted 100+ training programs on AI & emerging technologies with over 13,000 trained.
The primary aim of the training programs is to enable teachers to integrate AI tools into their teaching and to use technology in the classrooms in a safe and responsible manner.
National Centres of Excellence for Skilling
Five National Centres of Excellence for Skilling have also been approved by the Ministry under the PM e-Skill and Talent Upgradation (PM-ESTU). The centres are in:
- Bhubaneswar
- Chennai
- Hyderabad
- Kanpur
- Ludhiana
The NCoEs aim to strengthen AI-based skill development and prepare the future workforce for careers in technologies of disruption.
How NEP 2020 Shapes India's AI Vision
According to the National Education Policy 2020, new technologies are to be embedded within teaching and learning rather than learning how to teach AI. The government's model incorporates:
- AI-enabled personalized learning
- Digital learning content via DIkSHA
- Teacher training programs
- Research and development from IIT Madras
- Collaboration between industry and academia
- Ethical and responsible AI
The Ministry has also launched the Bharat Bodhan AI Conclave 2026, which aims to bring together educational institutions, startups, researchers, and policymakers to build the long-range AI educational system in India.
Why This Matters
More and more, AI is a basic skill and not a specialized skill. By incorporating the research of IIT Madras and the AI-based learning tool DIKSHA along with a national teacher training initiative, the Ministry of Education aims to create a system in which technology integrated within learning leads to employment.
Recent data shows that the focus of India’s AI education strategy is beyond the research stimulus and pilot phase. With many hundreds of crores of learning sessions already delivered via DIKSHA and thousands of trainers supported, the goal of the government is to extend the AI-enabled educational model across schools and institutions of higher education in line with NEP 2020.
Click Here for More Latest News