Taking a positive step towards implementing artificial intelligence education among the Gen Z, CBSE this week announced its partnership with tech giant IBM to run a pilot project in 1,000 schools with a new and improved syllabus. At the beginning of the year, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had announced that they would be implementing AI as a subject for students of classes 8,9, and 10.

Now, to kick-start the progress, CBSE has joined hands with IBM India, who is developing the syllabus from scratch along with the members of its global team and other subject experts.

This curriculum will also include a Capstone Project, where IBM experts will mentor students for advanced prototype development and on-ground implementation of projects. The course will also provide a platform for top students who will then be selected for a showcase.

Under CBSE, there are 20,299 schools in India and 220 schools in 25 other countries affiliated to it. By introducing AI at the school level, the government can ensure that scores of students who are to enter the future workforce have prior knowledge about the technology and can be job-ready.

The CBSE announced that it will conduct Capacity Building Programs for high school teachers in association with Microsoft India with an aim to integrate cloud-powered technology in K12 teaching. Meant for teachers of grades 8-10, the programme will be conducted in 10 cities across the country, starting 11 September 2019.

This program will provide teachers better access to the latest Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools and help them to integrate technology into teaching in a safe and secure manner, thereby enhancing the learning experience and 21st century skills of all students. The 1000 teachers nominated by CBSE will undergo a 3-day project-based training for practical, hands-on knowledge of Microsoft 365 tools such as OneNote, Flipgrid, Teams, Outlook & Minecraft and Paint3D Microsoft.