education – Artifex.News

From worksheets to videos: Teachers are using AI tools to teach and upskill students and themselves

admin — Fri, 04 Sep 2026 16:40:00 +0000

In elementary classrooms, AI serves as a teacher-led demonstration tool. | Image for representation
| Photo Credit: Denis Novikov

With Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education getting a massive push from the Union and State governments, teachers across education boards have started using AI tools to teach children, design worksheets and upskill themselves.

Kavitha Ghosh, an English teacher at Delhi Public School, Bengaluru South, said, “AI has made most teachers’ jobs easy. I use AI to create differentiated worksheets for each student that have to be solved at the end of every chapter. These worksheets have all types of questions, from critical analysis to reasoning and logic-based questions. Solving such worksheets will ultimately help them prepare for board exams, where the level of difficulty is increasing every year in question papers.”

Citing the example of her subject, she said, “I have used AI tools to generate English grammar worksheets that have grammatical errors or spelling mistakes. These errors are also not easily detectable by students. I have also created some interesting visual representations using AI for Robert Frost’s Ice and Fire poem when I taught it to my students.”

She noted that AI tools provide teachers with basic questions, standard questions, challenging or difficult ones and more. “It depends on my ability to give the exact prompt to AI and here, prompt engineering skills come into play. Teachers have to learn to be good prompt engineers now,” she said.

At the same time, Ms. Ghosh also advises that student should limit the use of AI tools for doing school projects.

She said, “I give two different projects to students. While one project has to be done at school, the other must be done at home. In the projects that are completed at school, teachers can measure the creative skills of thinking, writing and knowledge of each students. They are allowed to use AI for assignments to be completed at home. But we restrict them from using the same words and sentences in their project. If not, I make them rework projects.”

Upskilling teachers

Samran Wiriyaphong, K-12 Tech Coordinator at Canadian International School, said it is important to upskill teachers in AI.

He said that at the high school level, school authorities are launching a year-long, Professional Learning Community (PLC)-based action research project. “It is called Assessment Redesign: Building Teacher Confidence in AI-Integrated Classrooms, where teachers collaboratively rebuild assessments with AI guardrails like human-in-the-loop checks, no-direct-answer scaffolding, and visible process,” he said.

In elementary classrooms, AI serves as a teacher-led demonstration tool. He said, “Educators use it to show multiple perspectives or contrasting explanations, followed by reflective discussions to evaluate accuracy and preserve human intelligence. In secondary grades, students use AI for student-driven exploration — comparing perspectives in humanities or testing strategies in math — while remaining responsible for verifying and maintaining the originality of their work.”

AI website by government school teachers

In Karwar’s Chendiya taluk, two government higher primary school teachers — Chandrakanth Gouda, a social science teacher, and Josphine G. Lima, a math and English teacher — have developed an AI-enabled education website called ‘Shikshakara Shaikshanika Sampanmulagalu’.

Mr. Chandrakanth said, “The website offers audio and visual content on topics from various subjects including history, English, science, math, social science, and so on. There are around 120 videos on various topics pertaining to the syllabi of class 6, 7 and 8. AI tools were helpful to create videos of history, kings, and the freedom movement.”

He added, “The idea came to us a year ago when we took children on a trip. We started curating content, came up with ideas for videos and uploaded content that was necessary so that children and other teachers make the most of the website. It is an open source platform and anybody can access it. Instead of showing educational videos on other social media platforms where some irrelevant advertisements pop up, videos on our website can be use to teach children.”

Published – September 04, 2026 10:10 pm IST

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EMC awards scholarships to 220 meritorious students

admin — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 20:05:00 +0000

Srikakulam District Joint Collector and Additional District Magistrate, Farman Ahmed Khan, commended the Etihad Muslim Community (EMC) Welfare Society for its sustained commitment to educational and social welfare through its scholarship initiative. The Society’s annual scholarship distribution programme was held with great enthusiasm at the VMRDA Children’s Arena in Siripuram, recently.

Mr. Farman Ahmed Khan, attended the event as the chief guest, while Senior Divisional Personnel Officer, Waltair Division, East Coast Railway, Jusef Kabir Ansari, graced the occasion as the guest of honour. During the programme, EMC distributed scholarship cheques of ₹10,000 each to 220 meritorious students from Class VII to degree level, amounting to a total scholarship assistance of ₹22 lakh. The beneficiaries were selected based on academic excellence and financial need.

Addressing the gathering, EMC president Jeelani Hazari said that since its inception in 2016, the Society has been supporting deserving students from economically weaker sections by providing scholarships annually.

EMC Vice-President Zafar Hosain, Secretary Sheikh Subhani, members of the Society were present.

Published – June 30, 2026 01:35 am IST

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Bilingual schools: Questions raised over grading of students on knowledge of English and Kannada

admin — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 14:09:00 +0000

File photo of bilingual textbooks being used by government primary schools in Dakshina Kannada, where bilingual medium of students has come into effect in all government primary schools from this 2026-27 academic year.
| Photo Credit: H. S. MANJUNATH

While questions are being raised over the Education Department’s move to grade bilingual medium studying students into A and B based on their knowledge of English and Kannada, Dakshina Kannada district education department officials said grading is to know the language competency and not to distinguish among the students.

All the 896 government primary schools in Dakshina Kannada are teaching Bilingually (Kannada and English) from this 2026-27 academic year. Dakshina Kannada is among the few districts in the State where all government primary schools are teaching in bilingual medium. Of the 896 government primary schools, 220 schools have been teaching bilingually in the last five years.

From the start of the new academic year on June 1, all students from the Classes 1 to 5 have been involved in transitional activities for about a month. The activities, include story games, spoken language acts, role plays, done as a bridge course to bilingual medium of instruction. By the end of the month, teachers have to hold a test to evaluate students. Those having knowledge of English will be graded as A, while those with Kannada will be graded as B.

Discouraging Kannada

Questioning this gradation, All India Democratic Students Organisation, Dakshina Kannada District convenor, S.V. Vinaya Chandra, said instead of promoting mother tongue learning at the primary level, the government is doing the exact opposite by discouraging the choice of Kannada. He said the government is violating Supreme Court verdict, which mandates promoting mother tongue in primary education. Mr. Chandra said giving Kannada a secondary status in learning is akin to refusing to recognise students who write in Kannada.

Remedial teaching

Deputy Director of Public Instruction (Academics) Sadanand Poonja said gradation of students is nothing new, and has been done in the past too.

With evaluation by the end of this month, teachers will get to know the competency of students in English. “This is nothing to do with their academics.” Mr. Poonja said teachers will take up remedial coaching to students in Grade B to improve their English competency. The evaluation and remedial activities will continue during the academic year. There will be no evaluation for students in Class 1, he said.

Meanwhile, bilingual textbooks are yet to reach all students. The Students Achievement Tracking System, which tracks progress of students, still continues to recognise the Bilingual students as Kannada-medium students.

Published – June 17, 2026 07:39 pm IST

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Display fee structure at entrance by June 5, private schools told

admin — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 16:56:00 +0000

The Directorate of Private Schools, functioning under the School Education Department, has directed all private schools in Tamil Nadu to publish their tuition fees by June 10.

The directive follows a recent ruling by the Tamil Nadu Information Commission that the school fee structure should be displayed at the entrance of the schools. The Commission instructed the Directorate of Private Schools to ensure compliance with its order and submit a report by June 15. “It has already been instructed that all types of private self-financing schools operating under the Directorate of Private Schools should not charge any fees other than tuition fees,” according to a circular from the Directorate.

The order has directed the principals of all private nursery, primary, matriculation, CBSE, and other board schools to advertise the fee structure fixed by the fee-fixing committee at the schools for the benefit of members of the public. The fees must also be published on the websites of the schools and the tuition fees must be printed class-wise in the application forms for admission.

“All private nursery, primary, matriculation, CBSE, and other board schools must advertise their tuition fees in a transparent manner on the notice board…” the circular said.

The fee structure must be advertised at schools by June 5 and on the school websites by June 10. “The details should be submitted to this office as a report and the respective Chief Education Officer must be informed,” the circular said. It asked all the Chief Education Officers to verify during inspections whether the fee structure was displayed and obtain photographic evidence thereof.

Published – June 02, 2026 10:26 pm IST

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‘Online education is one of the biggest finds of the last decade’

admin — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 14:58:00 +0000

Kadhambari S. Viswanathan, assistant vice-president, Vellore Institute of Technology, in conversation with L.V. Navaneeth, Chief Executive Officer, The Hindu Group, at The Hindu Tech Summit 2026 on Friday (February 13, 2026).
| Photo Credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ

Online education is one of the biggest finds of the last decade, Kadhambari S. Viswanathan, assistant vice-president, Vellore Institute of Technology, said on Friday (February 13, 2026) at The Hindu Tech Summit 2026.

She was speaking at a session, titled ‘From Campus to Corporation: Building Industry-Ready Talent for an AI First World’, in conversation with L.V. Navaneeth, Chief Executive Officer, The Hindu Group, at the event hosted by The Hindu, presented by VIT, and co-presented Sify Technologies.

“There is a lot of discussion on how online education will change and if it will entirely replace physical classroom-based education. But both can co-exist and supplement and complement each other,” she said.

Talking about digital literacy and digital wellbeing, Ms. Viswanathan underscored the need for teaching the younger generation how to use technology with caution. “They should be masters of technology and not the other way around. There is not much literacy and awareness about digital wellbeing among the people,” she added.

There is evidence-based research on how screen time affects the childhood and the mental wellbeing of teenagers, she said.

Asked about how modern technology transforms the daily life and learning experience of students, Ms. Viswanathan said teaching was conventional earlier. But it is no longer faculty-led; it is rapidly becoming a student-led experience. “Faculty will facilitate the learning process but will not be [entirely in] control of the learning process. It is changing because of information overload available online. But, of course, human intervention is always needed,” she added.

Ms. Viswanathan said the way the skillsets are going to progress will be very different. “There is definitely a skillset mismatch, and it is due to the lack of practical exposure during the course of study. This can be solved only when there is proper communication between the industry and the academia,” she added.

She said that one of the biggest challenges of generative AI is how it affects the communication skills of the people.

Published – February 13, 2026 08:28 pm IST

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Indian Schools Are Far From Future-Ready

admin — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 06:11:15 +0000

India’s school infrastructure is at a critical crossroads, demanding urgent attention not just to address existing gaps but to reimagine how our schools can prepare students for the challenges of the future. The recently released Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2023-24 report by the Ministry of Education highlights glaring deficiencies in basic amenities like drinking water, functional toilets, and electricity. However, beyond these immediate concerns lies an even more pressing question: are our schools equipped to nurture future-ready students with the skills and competencies needed to thrive in an increasingly dynamic world?

With technological advancement, Indian schools are struggling to meet even the most fundamental requirements of a future-ready education system. Many lack functional computer labs, well-equipped science labs and integrated learning devices. This not only highlights the pressing need for investments in foundational amenities but also in advanced educational infrastructure that aligns with the demands of a rapidly evolving world.

Digital Infrastructure In Schools

According to the UDISE+ report, only 57% of the 14.71 lakh schools in the country have computer facilities. Of these, merely 50.9% have functional computer systems that can be used for pedagogical purposes. Even more concerning is that just 8.1% of schools are equipped with functional integrated teaching-learning devices, and only 24.4% have operational smart classrooms. These figures highlight the digital divide that must be urgently addressed to prevent a generation of students from being left behind.

Post-COVID-19, the reliance on digital tools in education has increased exponentially. However, the progress in upgrading digital infrastructure has been woefully inadequate. Bridging the digital divide through affordable devices, reliable internet connectivity, and teacher training is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Without these investments, Indian students will remain ill-prepared for the skills and careers of tomorrow.

Skills For The Future

Technology is redefining the way we work, communicate, and learn. Subjects like coding, artificial intelligence, and data literacy should become integral to the learning experience. However, future-readiness goes beyond digital literacy. Schools must also focus on equipping students with critical thinking, analytical skills, communication abilities, and adaptability. These competencies are essential for navigating the challenges of a fast-changing global landscape.

Building Climate Resilient Schools

As India faces the challenges of climate change, our students must be prepared to address this global crisis. Environmental education in schools should go beyond theoretical knowledge to include practical, hands-on experiences in sustainability. While the UDISE+ 2023-24 report reveals that only 10.5% of schools have solar panels and 36.2% have a kitchen garden, these numbers highlight both the need for and potential of schools to lead the way in fostering environmental responsibility. Programmes focused on waste management, renewable energy, and conservation can transform these existing resources into vibrant, living classrooms where students learn by doing.

Schools with solar panels can be a live lesson about renewable energy. Similarly, kitchen gardens can serve as a practical gateway to lessons in sustainable agriculture and nutrition. Encouraging participation in local climate action projects, combined with these resources, can further instil a sense of responsibility in finding climate solutions.

Additionally, the report shows that only 10.9% of schools have tinkering labs—an alarming gap given their importance in nurturing a problem-solving mindset. Integrating environmental challenges into tinkering lab activities could enable students to design creative, tangible solutions for sustainability.

The Ministry of Education has a pivotal role to play in bridging these gaps and ensuring schools are prepared for the future. Investments must prioritise both foundational infrastructure, such as electricity, water, and sanitation, and advanced resources like computer labs, science labs, and smart classrooms. This is crucial to creating an equitable learning environment where every child has access to quality education.

Without future-ready schools, India risks widening the gap between those who have access to quality education and those who do not. The digital divide, if left unchecked, will exacerbate inequalities, leaving a large number of students unprepared for the demands of a technology-driven world.

Moreover, India’s demographic dividend—its large youth population—hinges on how well we prepare our students for the future. Schools are the incubators of this potential. Their transformation is not just an educational imperative but a societal one.

(The author is a general secretary of the management of the Independent CBSE Schools Association in Karnataka and a board member of Delhi Public Schools, Bengaluru, and Mysuru)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author

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Taliban have deliberately deprived 1.4 million Afghan girls of schooling through bans, says UNESCO

admin — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 06:37:26 +0000

Afghan primary school girls make their way to home near the Shuhada lake in Kabul on March 24, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

The Taliban have deliberately deprived 1.4 million Afghan girls of schooling through bans, a U.N. agency said on Thursday (August 15, 2024). Afghanistan is the only country in the world with bans on female secondary and higher education.

The Taliban, who took power in 2021, barred education for girls above sixth grade because they said it didn’t comply with their interpretation of Sharia, or Islamic law. They didn’t stop it for boys and show no sign of taking the steps needed to reopen classrooms and campuses for girls and women.

UNESCO said at least 1.4 million girls have been deliberately denied access to secondary education since the takeover, an increase of 300,000 since its previous count in April 2023, with more girls reaching the age limit of 12 every year.

“If we add the girls who were already out of school before the bans were introduced, there are now almost 2.5 million girls in the country deprived of their right to education, representing 80% of Afghan school-age girls,” the UNESCO said.

The Taliban could not be immediately reached for comment.

Access to primary education has also fallen since the Taliban took power in Aug. 2021, with 1.1 million fewer girls and boys attending school, according to UNESCO data.

The U.N. agency warned that authorities have “almost wiped out” two decades of steady progress for education in Afghanistan. “The future of an entire generation is now in jeopardy,” it added.

It said Afghanistan had 5.7 million girls and boys in primary school in 2022, compared with 6.8 million in 2019. The enrollment drop was the result of the Taliban decision to bar female teachers from teaching boys, the UNESCO said, but could also be explained by a lack of parental incentive to send their children to school in an increasingly tough economic environment.

“UNESCO is alarmed by the harmful consequences of this increasingly massive drop-out rate, which could lead to a rise in child labour and early marriage,” it said.

The Taliban on Wednesday (August 14, 2024) celebrated three years of rule at Bagram Air Base, but there was no mention of the country’s hardships or promises to help the struggling population.

Decades of conflict and instability have left millions of Afghans on the brink of hunger and starvation and unemployment is high.

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Economic Survey 2023-24: Convergence of efforts at Centre, States needed to improve quality of education

admin — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 10:11:48 +0000

National Education Policy expected to yield foundational literacy and numeracy for every child passing the third standard in the near future. File (representational image)
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Convergence of efforts across the Centre, States, and local bodies is needed to improve the quality of education, especially primary education, the Economic Survey has suggested.

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is expected to yield foundational literacy and numeracy for every child passing the third standard in the near future, said the Survey for 2023-24 tabled in Parliament on July 22.

Also Read:Economic Survey 2023-24 LIVE updates

The Survey noted education is one of the most critical areas for India’s development, and mission-mode and cost-effective implementation of well-designed and well-intentioned programmes is essential to improve the quality of education, especially primary education, without which further years of education add little value.

“To realise the same, unity of purpose and convergence of efforts across the Centre, State, and local governments is called for, as ‘public education’ is a concurrent list subject,” the Survey document said.

Click here to download Economic Survey 2023-24

According to the Survey, the government’s spending on social services including education rose by 9.36% to ₹23.50 lakh crore in FY24 from ₹21.49 lakh crore in FY23. Of the total, ₹8.28 lakh crore was spent on education alone during FY24, around 8% higher from ₹7.68 lakh crore in FY23.

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This US State Will Display Ten Commandments From The Bible In Classrooms

admin — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 02:06:31 +0000

The First Amendment of the US Constitution forbids the establishment of a national religion (file).

Houston:

The governor of Louisiana signed a bill Wednesday requiring the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom in the conservative US state, reigniting the debate over separation of church and state.

The legislation, the first of its kind in the nation, mandates that the biblical text be on display starting in 2025 in all public school classrooms from kindergarten through state-funded universities.

“If you want to respect the rule of law, you gotta start from the original law given — which was Moses,” Jeff Landry, Republican governor of the southern state, said at the bill’s signing ceremony.

The law requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed as a poster or framed document “and shall be printed in a large, easily readable font,” the bill’s text reads.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) responded to the legislation by indicating it would take the case to court.

“The law violates the separation of church and state and is blatantly unconstitutional,” the organization said in a statement.

The First Amendment of the US Constitution forbids the establishment of a national religion or the preference of one religion over another.

The bill, HB 71, is the first of its kind to be signed into law, though similar bills have been drafted and put forth in other southern states within the US “Bible Belt.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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“Free Education From KG To PG If Congress Is Re-Elected In Chhattisgarh”: Rahul Gandhi

admin — Sat, 28 Oct 2023 12:35:55 +0000

Mr Gandhi also promised Rs 4,000 a year for ‘tendu’ leaf collectors.

Raipur:

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday promised free education in government schools and colleges in Chhattisgarh and Rs 4,000 a year for ‘tendu’ leaf collectors if his party retains power in the state.

Addressing an election rally in the Bhanupratappur assembly constituency in Kanker district, Mr Gandhi asked that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi brings up ‘OBC’ (other backward classes) in his speeches, why was he scared of a caste census.

A caste census will be conducted in the country if the Congress is voted to power, he added.

Bhanupratappur is among the 20 constituencies that will see polling on November 7 in the first phase of the Chhattisgarh elections. The second phase will be held on November 17.

“We are going to take a major step for you which we call ‘KG to PG’. From KG (kindergarten) to PG (post-graduation), free education will be provided in government institutions to students (if Congress retains power in state). They will not have to pay a single penny,” Mr Gandhi said.

Mr Gandhi promised that if the Congress forms the government in the state after polls, tendu leaf collectors will be given Rs 4,000 per year under the Rajiv Gandhi Protsahan Yojana. This is being seen as a major announcement from the Bhanupratappur seat, which is a part of the tribal-dominated Bastar region.

Pitching for a caste census, he said, “Narendra Modi ji uses the ‘OBC’ word in every speech but why is he scared of the caste census… OBCs have to become aware as they are being ditched.” Mr Gandhi also announced that the Congress would conduct a caste census in the country if it is voted to power in Delhi (at the Centre). “We have already made this promise for Chhattisgarh,” he said.

Key promises made by the Congress ahead of the last assembly polls have been fulfilled in Chhattisgarh, Mr Gandhi claimed.

Objecting to the use of ‘vanvasi’ in place of ‘Adivasi’ for tribals, he said its use by the BJP is an insult to Adivasis and an attack on their culture, history and language.

During his speech, Mr Gandhi stopped briefly and walked to the other corner of the stage carrying a bottle of water apparently after someone fainted on the ground. He returned to the dais and asked if the person was alright.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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