Good Click, Bad Click: NCERT to Teach Students Responsible AI Behaviour

India’s academic advisory council, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), has introduced a new module for Classes 9 to 12 to teach students about deepfakes, fake news, data privacy, online safety, and the importance of checking information before believing or sharing it. Under the new curriculum, schools will educate students on how to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) safely and informatively, as it has become an integral part of everyday life.

The new subject is a short 20-hour course that will teach the basics of Computational Thinking (CT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). According to the education council, the purpose of integrating the module is to help students understand how AI works, where it can go wrong, and how to use it responsibly. The module was prepared by NCERT in consultation with the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) at Madras and Jodhpur.

NCERT's announcement on X

The module will focus on assessing AI’s limitations and helping students become “careful, confident, creative, and responsible users, and evaluators of AI systems”, rather than relying on its responses without checking their accuracy or credibility.

Think Smart. Create with AI. Learn Responsibly. NCERT introduces an introductory module on Computational Thinking (CT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Grades 9-12, aligned with the vision of NEP-2020 Designed for beginners, the module encourages critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving through hands-on, activity-based learning with or without digital devices. It also highlights the ethical and responsible use of AI, including data privacy, fairness, digital safety and fact-checking. Empowering learners to navigate the AI-driven future with confidence, creativity and responsibility. #NCERT #ArtificialIntelligence #ComputationalThinking #NEP2020 #DigitalLearning #AIinEducation

— NCERT (@ncert) October 23, 2026

“The module uses activity-based learning to explain AI concepts, applications, limitations, data privacy, and responsible technology use. It adopts an experiential, activity-based learning approach through discussions, practical exercises, experimentation and reflection,” NCERT said.

The module also covers the everyday uses of AI, how machines learn from examples, and why AI sometimes gives incorrect answers. It cautions students about the limitations and risks of AI and teaches them how to use the technology responsibly.

NCERT has said the lessons will follow an activity-based and experiential approach. The 20-hour module will also include offline pen-and-paper activities, sharing of digital devices, and teacher-led demonstrations on shared screens to develop core knowledge while ensuring accessibility and inclusivity.

Which Other Countries Have Incorporated AI Literacy?

China

“In December 2024, China's Ministry of Education issued a notice on enhancing AI education in primary and secondary schools, promoting collaboration between industry, academia, and research,” Xinhua reported in March 2025.

Xinhua further reported in May 2025 that China would establish a tiered AI education system across primary, junior high, and senior high schools to guide students from basic awareness to practical innovation.

Primary schools will focus on general AI literacy and basic exposure to technology, while junior high students will learn AI logic and critical thinking to identify misinformation generated by AI. Senior high students will advance to applied innovation, using their knowledge to design and refine algorithmic models.

Like India, China also focuses on ethics and responsible use. However, its plan covers more grades and follows a more centrally controlled approach.

South Korea

South Korea has taken a different approach. Rather than focusing only on teaching students about AI, it introduced AI-powered digital textbooks to personalise classroom learning. These textbooks were designed to adjust to students’ learning pace, provide feedback, and help teachers monitor progress, according to the Ministry of Education (MOE), the government department responsible for education policy and administration in South Korea.

In November 2024, South Korea’s Ministry of Education announced that 76 AI digital textbooks had been approved for use in 2025. They were intended for students in Grades 3 and 4 of elementary school, Grade 1 of middle school, and Grade 1 of high school, covering subjects including English, mathematics, and coding. The ministry also said teachers would be trained and digital infrastructure strengthened to ensure a smooth rollout.

However, Rest of World reported in October 2025 that the programme was later rolled back following complaints about inaccuracies, data privacy concerns, and increased workloads for teachers. The report said the initiative faced insufficient testing, a rushed implementation, and a change of government.

Thus, while India is teaching students how to understand, question, and responsibly use AI, South Korea attempted to use AI as a teaching tool through digital textbooks.

European Union

The European Union’s ArInLi (Artificial Intelligence Literacy) project is an Erasmus+ initiative that integrates structured, ethical AI education into secondary school curricula in Spain, Italy, Turkey, and Germany. The project brings together schools, universities, and technology companies, including Bosch Siemens, and trains teachers, students, and families.

ArInLi particularly focuses on socio-economically vulnerable and rural communities, aiming to provide quality technology education to underprivileged students. Through a “Train the Trainer” model, the project has reached hundreds of students and offers multilingual learning resources free of charge to schools worldwide. According to the project’s official website, ArInLi began on September 2, 2024, and concluded on April 30, 2026.

Compared with India, ArInLi is a smaller, project-based European initiative centred on teacher training and community participation. NCERT’s module, by contrast, is a nationally designed 20-hour classroom course for Classes 9 to 12. Both emphasise the safe, ethical, and critical use of AI, but India’s model has a broader national reach and is designed to be implemented in schools with limited digital resources.

UNESCO

UNESCO promotes human-centred AI education, under which technology should serve people and respect their rights, fairness, and dignity. NCERT’s module reflects this approach by emphasising creativity, ethics, privacy, and human decision-making.

Within the framework of the Beijing Consensus, UNESCO developed Artificial Intelligence and Education: Guidance for Policy-makers to help education policymakers assess their readiness for AI. The guidance aims to establish a shared understanding of the opportunities and challenges AI presents for education, as well as its implications for the core competencies required in the AI era.

The difference is that UNESCO provides a global framework for AI competency, while NCERT has developed a specific classroom module for Indian schools.

Overall, India’s module aligns with global efforts to promote the responsible and ethical use of AI. China’s system is more detailed and begins at a younger age, South Korea has focused on AI-powered learning tools, and Europe is developing AI literacy through targeted school and teacher-training projects.

India’s strength lies in its simple, flexible, low-resource model. It introduces AI without requiring expensive technology and keeps human judgement, creativity, and ethical responsibility at the centre of learning.