The rising tide of AI has infiltrated almost every industry, and the education sector is not far behind. From lesson planning to personalised assessments, over 61% of educators across the country are now embracing AI tools to streamline their work and elevate the learning experience.
But here’s the catch: while the tech is evolving at breakneck speed, India’s AI policies are still catching up.
So, let’s explore why India needs an AI policy for education, and how the right steps today can shape the classrooms of tomorrow.
Why Does India Need an AI Policy for Education?
Despite the growth of AI in the Indian education system, there’s still a lack of a centralised regulatory and strategic framework for a safe and inclusive use. And while AI brings personalised learning for students and lessens the administrative load on educators, the very lack of regulation seems to be blocking its potential and creating challenges like:
- Unclear data governance
- Lack of AI-ready infrastructure
- Regional disparities in access
This is precisely why India needs an AI policy: to ensure that the growing reliance on AI results in equitable, high-quality education across all regions and communities. A robust AI policy in India can help define clear standards and address infrastructural gaps because, without a national framework, the very tools meant to enhance education could risk deepening existing disparities.
AI Policy Recommendations in India to Become Future-Ready
To understand the true potential of AI in education, the government must work in alignment with the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence. This strategy outlines key recommendations that address both the current gaps and the future needs of India’s education system.
Let’s dive deeper into what these recommendations mean for educators and students.
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For the Workforce
- Incentivising the Creation of Jobs:
AI is transforming traditional job roles in education, and AI policies in India should be able to adapt to this by creating new job categories. This involves promoting services around AI implementation, content development, data labelling, and human-in-the-loop systems. Incentives for startups and service providers will also help absorb the transition shock that automation may bring. - Standardising Informal Training Institutions:
India’s informal skilling ecosystem, including online platforms and non-accredited institutes, plays a pivotal role in AI upskilling. A formal accreditation system for these institutions will ensure quality and credibility. - Creating an Open Platform for Learning:
While AI continues to develop, there exist gaps between rural and urban areas, as the former is still working towards adopting AI. To bridge regional and economic divides, India must develop open-source AI learning platforms that are accessible in local languages with modular content. This would democratise AI education across urban and rural regions alike, ensuring no student is left behind. - Financial Incentives for Reskilling
Reskilling is especially important in the education sector where AI is taking the forefront. Educators and administrators need to evolve to meet the changing trends. To encourage this shift, subsidies, tax benefits, and employer-linked schemes can help.
- Incentivising the Creation of Jobs:
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For the Students
- Re-aligning School Education:
It’s time to rethink what we teach. As AI comes into the limelight, students should be prepared to work in sync with it. And this AI literacy must begin at the school level.Integrate data science, machine learning basics, and computational thinking into the curriculum. NCERT and CBSE can work in tandem with digital learning platforms to make this a reality. - Promoting Early Tech Adoption:
When it comes to AI, the learning cannot be confined to textbooks. Hands-on learning is needed. This can be achieved through AI kits, coding projects, and gamified platforms to ensure that students experience technology, rather than just reading about it. - Fostering Industry-Academia Collaboration:
It’s time to go beyond theoretical learning for higher education. Schools should focus on collaborating with AI companies and innovation hubs to let their students lead real-world projects, internships, and research opportunities. Such partnerships will also ensure that the syllabus remains dynamic and job-market relevant. - Addressing Faculty Shortages:
While the field of education in India is still actively looking to adopt AI, there’s still a significant shortage of qualified AI educators. To overcome this, we must turn to scalable, digital teacher training models, like virtual classrooms, micro-learning modules, and AI-powered teacher assistance tools.Extramarks’ digital content and educator training tools can fill the gap with high-quality, localised solutions.
- Encouraging Cross-Disciplinary AI Learning:
Whether it’s engineering, healthcare, humanities, or finance, every field benefits from AI. Hence, higher education must support interdisciplinary AI learning pathways that combine core subjects with AI applications. - Creating a Dynamic, Responsive Institutional Framework:
Not just technology, but policymakers should also be keen on evolving and adapting to the newer trends, especially in the field of education. A centralised body to monitor, evaluate, and revise AI education strategies in real-time is crucial. Such an institutional mechanism should work collaboratively with both public and private stakeholders.
- Re-aligning School Education:
Futureproof AI-Driven Learning With Extramarks!
AI is the future, and there’s no doubt in that. Going further, it is only going to evolve, and it’s better to strengthen the AI policy in India. With the comprehensive strategies outlined in the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence and a collaborative ecosystem involving government, schools, and EdTech innovators, we can create an inclusive, intelligent, and impactful education system.
Extramarks can help you become better at adopting AI practices into your teaching. Our innovative AI-powered solutions are meant for new-age digital-first classrooms that aim at making learning more personalised, so that no student is left behind.
- Leverage AI tools and transform traditional teaching into a dynamic, interactive, and NEP-ready digital classroom with our Smart Class Plus.
- Automate assessments, make grading easy, and provide personalised student feedback in a more streamlined manner with our Assessment Centre.
- Transform the way students learn and accelerate their learning experience with our Learning App.
Let’s revolutionise education in India.
Prachi Singh
Prachi Singh is a highly accomplished educationist with over 16 years of experience in the EdTech industry. Currently, she plays a pivotal role at Extramarks, leading content strategy and curriculum development initiatives that shape the future of education...Read More
