As artificial intelligence takes centre stage in both R&D and employment generation, the department of school education in Tamil Nadu is reportedly introducing the subject in high school. According to a news publication, the Tamil Nadu state government is introducing AI as a subject from Classes VI to IX across all state-run schools.
The department is reportedly going to partner with tech giants like Microsoft or Google to help create a comprehensive syllabus on AI.
An official told the newspaper, “Many students find [artificial intelligence] interesting and have touched upon this subject through science projects. Once it becomes a part of the curriculum, they will be able to explore in depth.”
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The push for AI education has also created a requirement for teachers that have a grasp on advanced concepts such as robotics, IoT and big data. Students also seem to be exhibiting a positive attitude towards the subject, with many stating that it was a good idea as long as the subject interesting.
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 VIII, IX and X. In fact, schools in Gurugram had begun gearing up for a change in syllabus, while experts debated whether the required infrastructure exists for widespread implementation of AI education.
The Central Government is also trying to empower school children with application-based two-week training modules via CodeIndia. The idea behind this program is to teach mid and intermediate level students across the country and make them market-ready.
Through CodeIndia, students will acquire enough knowledge to develop a necessary aptitude for developing applications for several sectors such as aerospace, nuclear physics, among others. This is a must need a program from the government as in the current technology landscape, there is a dearth of talented software developers. Many organisations are trying to get rid of the employees who are incapable of managing tasks that use the latest technologies.
