IIT Guwahati equips Assam's government schoolteachers to teach AI
IIT Guwahati has trained the first batch of government schoolteachers in Assam to teach the new Class XI AI curriculum. The program was led by the Mehta Family School of Data Science & Artificial Intelligence and covered 126 teachers from over 100 schools. More training rounds are planned for the wider Northeast.
This effort targets a simple goal: give teachers practical AI skills so students learn with confidence. Many participants were new to AI, so the training started with fundamentals and moved to classroom application.
What changed this academic year
AI is now an elective in Class XI in Assam's state board schools. It will extend to Class XII next year, following its rollout in Class IX last year and Class X this year. Education officials expect the first Class XII cohort with AI education to graduate in 2027.
Curriculum and textbooks
Textbooks for Class 11 were authored by IIT-G faculty Debanga Raj Neog and Shyamanta M Hazarika, with Sadiq Hussain from Dibrugarh University. The Class 11 book was released by Education Minister Ranoj Pegu; the Class 12 book is in the works. The aim is consistent content and clear pathways for teachers and students across the state.
Why this matters for educators
IIT-G's Director, Prof. Devendra Jalihal, stressed the need to prepare teachers who haven't worked with AI before. With guidance, they can introduce students to real uses-drug discovery, translation, analytics-without getting lost in technical details. As one official put it, the 2027 graduating batch will signal stronger higher education readiness and better employability.
Building a talent pipeline
An online BSc in AI launched in 2023 under IIT-G's Mehta school has grown quickly, with admissions rising from 700 in the first year to 1,400 this year. The Assam government has sent over 200 students for training; 80 have been selected for the online BSc. These students are expected to spread AI awareness and skills across districts.
Rahul Mehta of the Mehta Family Foundation said developing high-quality talent in Assam can attract companies to pursue research specific to the Northeast, creating activity and growth around AI. IIT-G projects the online BSc could reach 5,000 admissions within the next five years.
Practical steps for school leaders and teachers
- Map your starting point: identify teacher confidence levels, lab access, and basic device/internet gaps.
- Set up teacher practice circles: short, weekly sessions to test lesson ideas and share what worked.
- Use AI across subjects: simple projects like dataset analysis in geography, text summarization in history, or translation practice in language classes.
- Establish guardrails: discuss data privacy, citation, and when AI outputs need verification.
- Leverage pathways: connect motivated students to advanced options like IIT-G's online BSc or state-supported training.
- Track outcomes: monitor attendance, project quality, and basic assessment gains to guide your next term.
Where to learn more
Explore IIT Guwahati's Mehta Family School for Data Science & AI for programme updates and training initiatives: IIT-G MSDiAI.
If you're planning faculty upskilling or student enrichment, you can browse AI course paths by role here: Complete AI Training - Courses by Job.
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