Government to help teachers use AI; will ease open schooling framework

The Union Government plans to liberalise the country’s open schooling framework, introduce guidelines to encourage the use of artificial intelligence in teaching, and draft technical education standards focussed on ensuring employment and entrepreneurship for graduates. The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, which aims to overhaul the regulatory framework for higher education, will go a long way in making some of these changes possible, Education Ministry officials said on Friday (January 2, 2026).

“There is a need to ensure that standards for technical education are set with a focus on centering it around equipping students with the skills to acquire jobs and start entrepreneurships. Similarly, in teacher education, artificial intelligence is something that must be accounted for,” a senior Ministry official said.

The official said that such changes will be enabled through the overhaul proposed under the VBSA Bill, 2025, which will also subsume the functions of the National Council for Teacher Education.

The VBSA Bill was introduced in the 2025 Winter Session of Parliament and was met with objections from the Opposition, after which the government proposed that the Bill be sent to a joint committee of Parliament. While this committee is yet to be constituted, officials maintained that their hope was to bring the Bill for passage in the House by the end of this year’s Budget Session.

Expand and liberalise NIOS

The senior official added that a similar approach will be necessary for open schooling, which accommodates individuals of all age groups seeking to complete their secondary and higher secondary certifications.

To this end, a second official said that talks are underway within the Education Ministry to “expand and liberalise” the National Institute for Open Schooling system.

“Currently, the open schooling system requires institutes to be linked to schools to offer a particular course. But what if other institutions, like an ITI [Industrial Training Institute], wanted to start open schooling programmes? Opening these pathways up is something that is being discussed,” the first official said, adding that such an expansion of the NIOS system had the capacity to drastically reduce school dropout rates.

The NIOS system offers open basic education programmes for those above 14 years of age, for certifications that are equivalent to Classes 3, 5, and 8 of the formal schooling system. In addition, the NIOS offers secondary, senior secondary, vocational education, and “life-enrichment” programmes and certifications.