Punjab Launches AI Curriculum for Classes 1-12
Punjab launched Sarbat.AI on July 22, making artificial intelligence part of the compulsory Computer Science curriculum for Classes 8-12 and outlining an age-appropriate extension to Classes 1-7. The state says the program will reach 3.15 million students across 25,172 government and affiliated private schools, with 12,424 Computer Science teachers leading the first phase.
Punjab launched a statewide artificial intelligence curriculum on July 22 under a program called Sarbat.AI. The plan begins by integrating AI into the compulsory Computer Science course for Classes 8-12, followed by an age-appropriate extension to Classes 1-7.
The state says the full program is intended to reach 3.15 million students across 25,172 government and Punjab School Education Board-affiliated private schools. School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains launched it in Chandigarh alongside former Delhi education minister Manish Sisodia and education officials.
A two-phase classroom rollout
In the first phase, students in Classes 8-12 will study AI through live online instruction, recorded lessons, projects, continuous assessment and a dedicated learning platform. The government says 12,424 Computer Science teachers will lead this phase.
The second phase will extend the curriculum to Classes 1-7. Reporting on the launch says younger students will begin with responsible-use concepts, while older students will cover AI foundations, practical skills and innovation. Punjab also plans staged training for more than 200,000 teachers across subjects so that AI can be incorporated into teaching and assessment beyond Computer Science.
The Punjab School Education Board said the new AI material has been incorporated into the compulsory Computer Science curriculum and that related learning outcomes will appear on board certificates. The government also said the curriculum will be updated every six months, a commitment whose implementation will matter because AI tools and classroom risks change quickly.
What the program changes
This is a curriculum deployment rather than a plan to give students unrestricted access to generative AI. The stated design combines technical instruction with responsible-use guidance, and the government says it drew on international school models and UNESCO's ethical-AI framework.
For educators and education-technology teams, the practical test will be whether the state can deliver consistent teacher training, age-appropriate materials and credible assessment across such a large school network. Public evidence on student outcomes, classroom access and the promised update cycle will show whether Sarbat.AI becomes a durable learning program rather than a one-time launch.
Key Points
- 1Punjab launched Sarbat.AI on July 22, starting with AI inside the compulsory Computer Science course for Classes 8-12 before extending it to Classes 1-7.
- 2The state says the program will cover 3.15 million students in 25,172 government and affiliated private schools, with 12,424 Computer Science teachers leading phase one.
- 3The implementation test is whether Punjab delivers teacher training, age-appropriate materials, reliable assessment and its promised six-month curriculum updates at statewide scale.
Scoring Rationale
A statewide AI curriculum covering 3.15 million students and 25,172 schools is a material education-policy rollout with a concrete first phase, though its direct impact is geographically bounded and execution outcomes are not yet available.
Sources
Primary source and supporting public references used for this report.
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