AI is being used for classroom assessment and content delivery
Hyderabad: Class IX students in TGSWREIS schools are now writing Python scripts to control sensors and automate lighting and by Class XI, many can code entire building systems. Telangana’s schools have placed AI within formal subject schedules, complete with exams, projects and credits, and this is true for public and private schools.
“AI needs to be incorporated into the curriculum of every school; it is high time,” says Dr B. Ebenezer, vice chairperson of the Hyderabad Sahodaya Schools Complex, which represents CBSE schools.
The government has already taken that initiative and subjects like coding and AI are now getting integrated across government schools. “Our students start from Class VI and progress across four levels. By Class 9, their programming is on par with engineering basics,” said Naveen Sankoju, programme officer of TGSWREIS.
The department has partnered with the Raspberry Pi Foundation and set up specialised labs for automation and IoT projects. Fourteen student submissions were selected nationally this year. Exams on AI and coding are now conducted as part of SA1 and SA2 cycles and coding has moved from co-curricular to full-credit.
Elsewhere in Telangana’s schools, students from Class I onwards now come across AI in mathematics textbooks. Basic ideas about logic, data and decisions are introduced gradually. A separate initiative, AXL, developed with the EkStep Foundation, is being used in thousands of primary schools. It offers personalised practice in Telugu, English and Maths. Teachers say children who use it recall better and show improved focus.
“If I get something wrong, it helps me try again in a different way,” said Sohail, a Class VII student. “I have also been trying it to explore my creativity, and it really helps.”
Private and CBSE schools are working differently. AI is being used for classroom assessment and content delivery. “We are using tools to identify students who are falling behind and plan remedial classes accordingly,” said Madhusudan Sadula, principal of a private SSC school.
CBSE schools offer AI as part of the STEAM framework from Class XI. “Students often ask if AI will take over everything. We encourage that curiosity, but make it clear teachers aren’t being replaced,” said Dr Ebenezer. One of their teachers recently had research on prompt engineering accepted by SCERT.
AXL’s rollout includes infrastructure support like monitors and headsets, especially for schools in rural areas. In urban classrooms, students are already building projects and exploring ethical questions. The National Education Policy, the CBSE board’s elective subjects and now multiple state-level pushes indicate that what began as tech-sector training is becoming part of school routine.
