Pralhad Joshi urges NCERT to step up research on responsible AI use

Education minister asks NCERT to study AI's impact on learning and creativity, ensure responsible use, complete textbooks on time and focus on student wellbeing

Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday urged the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to strengthen its research ecosystem to study the rapidly growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) among children and its impact on learning and creativity.

 

He also asked the organisation to develop evidence-based practices to ensure the technology is used responsibly. 

Addressing the NCERT’s 66th Foundation Day, Joshi said the rapid spread of AI, including among younger age groups, meant textbooks and curricula needed to evolve to help students understand and engage with the technology confidently and responsibly. 

 

He also called for greater research into how technology could be adopted without compromising students’ creativity. 

 

“Technology should be improved but at the same time students should not lose their creativity. It is the NCERT’s responsibility as well to ensure that we can inspire and retain the creativity of students — there is still a lot of research left to be done in this,” he said, adding that parents also needed to be made more aware of the risks associated with excessive mobile phone use among children.

 

Citing instances where AI had been used in court proceedings but generated incorrect case laws or references, he stressed the need to focus on the responsible use of AI.

 

“The National Education Policy (NEP) accounts for all this and the policy has been brought in by the Prime Minister after extensive consultation. The NCERT should ensure an effective implementation of the policy,” he added.

 

The minister also asked the NCERT to ensure completing the development of textbooks for classes X to XII in a timely manner.

 

He said new NCERT textbooks for classes I to IX, aligned with the NEP, had been prepared and distributed in different languages in the country, while textbook development for classes X to XII was under preparation in “mission mode”.

 

Joshi’s remarks came as the NCERT is in the midst of a phased overhaul of textbooks under the NEP and the National Curriculum Framework.

 

New textbooks for classes I to IX have been developed and rolled out, although the class IX transition faced delays, with some textbooks not available at the start of the 2026-27 academic session. The next phase of the overhaul will cover classes X to XII. 

The transition is significant because the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has begun changing the curriculum in line with the new framework. 

 

From the 2026-27 academic session, the CBSE has introduced a “computational thinking and artificial intelligence”curriculum for classes III to VIII, bringing AI and its responsible use into school education at a much younger age.

 

Turning to student wellbeing, Joshi said the education system needed to pay greater attention to the pressures faced by children and adolescents. He referred to instances of very young students committing suicide amid academic and other pressures.

 

Joshi said the NCERT should work towards strengthening systems for the mental wellbeing of students through appropriate circulars, interventions, psychological support and other measures to create a more supportive environment in schools.

 

He also called for greater emphasis on helping teachers identify students’ abilities beyond conventional academic performance.

 

Students who excelled in areas such as art, music or sports should not be pushed solely towards academic achievement and marks, he said. 

Joshi said the NCERT had a responsibility to promote such alternative skills and encourage students’

individual talents, while also helping teachers recognise these abilities.