Chandigarh, July 23: Marking a major leap in public education standards, the Punjab School Education Board has initiated a comprehensive rollout of Artificial Intelligence as a compulsory mainstream subject from primary school through senior secondary levels. Building upon the success of earlier pilot programs and statewide hackathons, the Sarbat.AI mission is structured to equip more than three million students with future-ready skills, entrepreneurship capabilities, and responsible digital citizenship.
The structured implementation plan relies on a dual-phase rollout strategy. The initial phase deploys AI instruction across classes eight to twelve within government and affiliated institutions through computer science integration, supported by more than twelve thousand trained educators. Subsequent expansion phases will introduce age-appropriate digital learning concepts to younger students in foundational classes one through seven, with progressive professional development planned for over two hundred thousand teachers across all academic disciplines.
Discussing the regional transformation, Harjot Singh Bains declared, “Today marks the beginning of a new era in Punjab’s education system. Punjab has become the first state in India to introduce Artificial Intelligence as a mainstream subject from Class I to XII. We are moving from leading the Green Revolution to leading the Artificial Intelligence Revolution.”
The curriculum development incorporates insights gathered from international educational systems and adheres strictly to ethical technological guidelines to promote safe and responsible usage. Collaborations with prominent technology enterprises provide the necessary digital infrastructure, smart panels, and cloud computing resources required to modernize classrooms across the state’s educational network.
Emphasizing the long-term impact on global competitiveness, Harjot Singh Bains asserted that regional youth are being positioned to take on leadership roles internationally. “While countries like China and South Korea have already embedded AI in their primary school curricula, Punjab has chosen to lead India in this direction. Today, Punjab ranks first in education in the country. We are moving beyond outdated software drills to impart genuine future-ready skills,” the Minister maintained.
The launch event also featured strategic panel discussions with technical experts from major global technology firms, focusing on maintaining academic integrity, expanding digital accessibility, and fostering student-led technological innovation within state-run institutions.
