Ministry of Education Pushes AI Into Indian Classrooms; IIT Madras Gets Dedicated Centre of Excellence

India’s Ministry of Education hosted a major session at the India AI Impact Summit on its strategy to embed artificial intelligence across the country’s education ecosystem – anchored by a new Centre of Excellence in AI at IIT Madras and aligned with the goals of NEP 2020 and Viksit Bharat 2047.

New Delhi, February 17, 2026 – India’s Ministry of Education held a dedicated session titled ‘Pushing the Frontier of AI in India’ at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, outlining a comprehensive national strategy to integrate artificial intelligence across every layer of the Indian education system.

The session was attended by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Minister of State for Education & Skill Development Jayant Chaudhary. It highlighted the government’s establishment of a Centre of Excellence in AI for Education at IIT Madras — a flagship initiative announced in the Union Budget — as a cornerstone of its implementation plan.

The discussion brought together senior voices from India’s academia and industry, including Dr. Sridhar Vembu (Founder & CEO, Zoho Corporation), Prof. Manindra Agrawal (Director, IIT Kanpur), Prof. V. Kamakoti (Director, IIT Madras), Rajan Anandan (MD, Peak XV Partners), and Prof. Sunita Sarawagi (IIT Bombay). The session was moderated by Prof. Manoj S. Gaur, Director of IIT Jammu.

The Ministry emphasised that India’s approach would focus on systemic transformation – spanning national digital learning platforms, teacher training programmes, curriculum integration, and industry-academia collaboration – rather than isolated pilots. The strategy is framed within the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the long-term national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

The session also highlighted how AI governance frameworks and indigenous AI innovation are being aligned to reshape learning outcomes for India’s 250 million-plus students, making AI-driven education not just aspirational but scalable at a national level.