The Karnataka School Education Department has introduced Artificial Intelligence as a vocational subject for students studying in Classes 9 and 10 under the National Skills Qualifications Framework. The initiative is being implemented through Samagra Shikshana Karnataka and is aimed at giving school students early exposure to emerging technologies and skill-based education.
The AI course is being introduced in selected government schools from the 2026-27 academic year. According to reports, the programme covers 1,642 government schools. The subject has been placed within the vocational and skill education framework under NSQF rather than being introduced as a separate academic subject.
Under the existing framework, students can choose an NSQF vocational subject or a third language. The introduction of AI therefore provides an additional skill-oriented option for students while changing how the available third-language option is handled in the schools where the new programme is being implemented.
The move is intended to provide students with exposure to artificial intelligence at the secondary-school level. The programme is expected to focus on areas such as technical knowledge, problem-solving, critical thinking and employability skills. The government has also indicated that students who develop an interest in AI-related vocational education can continue with NSQF-aligned courses at higher levels.
The Karnataka government has been expanding skill-oriented education as part of its broader approach to preparing students for emerging technologies and future employment opportunities. AI has increasingly become part of education and vocational training initiatives in India, with national programmes also focusing on foundational AI awareness and skills.
However, the Karnataka government's decision has drawn opposition from the Karnataka State High School Hindi Teachers’ Association. The association has urged the education department to retain the existing three-language arrangement and has raised concerns about the effect of the AI programme on third-language teaching in government schools.
One of the main issues raised by the teachers' association concerns the position of third-language teachers. The association has opposed the redeployment of teachers from schools introducing AI and has sought protection for the existing language-teaching structure.
The concerns have emerged in the context of Karnataka's existing language education system, where students have been studying multiple languages as part of the school curriculum. The introduction of AI as an NSQF vocational option has therefore generated discussion about how vocational education and language education should be balanced at the secondary-school level.
The Karnataka Education Department has responded to concerns about teacher transfers. Additional Chief Secretary Rashmi V Mahesh said the introduction of AI would not result in transfers of third-language teachers. She stated that third-language teaching would continue in lower classes in flagship schools.
The department has also explained that students are already permitted under the existing rules to choose either an NSQF subject or a third language. From the government's perspective, the AI programme is therefore being implemented within an existing vocational education framework rather than as a direct replacement of language education across all classes.
The government has also said that there is significant demand among students in flagship schools for future-oriented skill education. AI has been positioned as one of the skill-based options that can help students develop competencies relevant to emerging areas of technology.
Another aspect of the programme is the possibility of continuing AI-related studies after Class 10. The government has indicated that students can continue with AI-related NSQF courses in Classes 11 and 12, including through the Pre-University education system.
The initiative also has implications for schools and teachers. Schools introducing the AI vocational course need access to suitably qualified instructors. Reports on the programme state that candidates for AI teaching positions are expected to meet prescribed educational and experience requirements. Qualifications may include degrees or diplomas in computer applications, computer science or information technology, along with relevant work experience and proficiency in the local language and English.
The introduction of AI in school education is part of a wider national focus on developing technology-related skills. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has also implemented the Skilling for AI Readiness programme, known as SOAR, with courses designed to build foundational AI awareness and readiness among learners, educators and citizens.
At the national level, several NSQF-aligned AI courses are now being developed across different sectors. These include courses related to manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, automobiles, electronics, retail and other fields. The expansion of such courses reflects the growing focus on connecting education with technology and workplace skills.
In Karnataka, however, the debate is not limited to the educational value of AI. The teachers' association's objections show that the implementation of new vocational options also raises questions about language education and the deployment of existing teachers.
The government's position is that the AI programme is intended to expand students' access to emerging skills and does not require the transfer of third-language teachers. The education department has said that language teaching will continue in relevant classes and that teachers' concerns about transfers have been addressed.
The issue is therefore centred on how Karnataka balances two educational priorities: maintaining language education and expanding access to technology-focused vocational training. The AI programme will provide students in participating schools with an opportunity to study an emerging technology through the NSQF framework, while the teachers' association continues to seek protection for the existing three-language arrangement.
The implementation of the programme and its impact on students, teachers and schools will be closely watched during the 2026-27 academic year. Further decisions by the Karnataka School Education Department could determine how AI vocational education is expanded and how it is coordinated with language education in government schools.
For students and parents, the key point is that AI has been introduced as an NSQF vocational option for Classes 9 and 10 in selected Karnataka government schools. It is part of the skill education framework and is not being presented by the government as a standalone academic subject. At the same time, the opposition from the Hindi teachers' association has brought attention to the continuing debate over the three-language policy and the role of third-language teachers in the state's school system.