Mita Mukherjee

The Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) will introduce two new subjects– artificial intelligence and robotics – in ICSE (Classes IX and X) and ISC (XI and XII) curriculum, Gerry Arathoon, CISCE secretary and chief executive said on Saturday.

The I-Hub Foundation for Cobotics (IHFC), the Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) of IIT Delhi has signed a MoU with the CISCE for framing the syllabus of the two new subjects, the CISCE chief said.

Schools affiliated with the council will introduce the subjects in Class IX from the next academic session in 2023, Arathoon said.

“ Students appearing in ICSE examinations in 2025 will be the first batch to write the Class X board exam in the two new subjects. In ISC, students will be tested in the two subjects in 2026 for the first time,” Arathoon told EducationWorld.

According to the CISCE, the New Education Policy emphasizes on teaching skill-based subjects at school level in order to make students employable.

“The CISCE has taken the decision to introduce subjects like artificial intelligence and robotics in line with the recommendations in the New Education Policy,” said Arathoon.

The IHFC has also offered its expertise to the CISCE to revamp the current STEM courses in line with the New Education Policy launched by the Ministry of Education, government of India.

Speaking about the MoU, Professor S K Saha, project director, IHFC and professor at IIT Delhi said, “ We are delighted to join hands with the CISCE for developing syllabus for Robotics and AI for school children in India. Nurturing teamwork, innovation, and knowledge to bridge gaps between young engineering students and potential future Robotic enthusiasts are the pillars of our vision.”

Asutosh Dutt Sharma, CEO, IHFC, emphasized on the need to build the country’s capability in the field of robotics and upcoming technologies and suggested that the IHFC’s endeavor is to “reflect the principles of experiential learning along with theory aspects while developing the curriculum.”

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