Considering the growing importance of artificial intelligence (AI) in education and everyday life, the Central Square Foundation, a leading education non-profit, has received a grant from Google’s philanthropic arm, Google.org, to help launch an AI literacy initiative. This initiative, part of Google’s broader push to prepare India for an AI-powered future, was unveiled at the 10th edition of Google for India.
The $4 million grant to the Central Square Foundation will be used to roll out the AI Samarth initiative. This programme will introduce AI-focused curricula in government schools and develop training modules for students, teachers, and parents. It aims to empower educators to incorporate AI in classrooms and equip students with the knowledge to engage with AI responsibly. Over four years, the initiative will impact over 5 million people across India.
India has one of the largest education systems in the world, with ~1.5 million (14.8 lakh) schools and 9.5 million (95 lakh) teachers, reaching over 265 million (26.5 crores) students across the country. However, current AI literacy initiatives for the school system in India are limited. High-quality content and contextual curriculum focused on AI literacy for Bharat is scarce, hindering reach and awareness at scale. Hence, significant gaps exist in awareness, understanding, and using AI responsibly. As innovative applications of AI in education emerge, it becomes critical to build awareness amongst educators, parents and students about the opportunities and risks associated with AI.
To effectively tackle these challenges at scale, the ‘AI Samarth’ initiative will aim to cultivate deeper knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding AI and its responsible use among teachers, parents and students through a holistic approach:
- The initiative aims to develop an expert-reviewed AI literacy curriculum for students, parents, and teachers and an open-source, high-quality content library for Bharat.
- This content will be disseminated through local implementation partners, who will leverage cascaded training programmes and online platforms to ensure effective adoption.
- The effort will foster collaboration and share best practices among key stakeholders to raise awareness of the critical need for AI Literacy in the schooling system.
Speaking about the initiative, Shaveta Sharma-Kukreja, CEO & MD of Central Square Foundation, said:
With AI becoming prevalent in our everyday life, there is a strong need to have AI literacy for all. ‘AI Samarth’ is an ambitious initiative to build improved knowledge, attitudes, and practices around AI for teachers, students and parents. We will take a comprehensive approach to develop curriculum and content, train teachers in the Education system & communities at the grassroots level to reach our students and build salience on AI awareness across stakeholders. With ‘AI Samarth’, we aim to reach over 5 million (50 lakh) educators, students and parents across India, creating a foundation for responsible AI adoption to support student learning.
‘AI Samarth’ is dedicated to catalysing a widespread movement of AI literacy throughout India’s school education landscape, empowering communities across Bharat at scale.
Established in 2012, CSF is dedicated to enhancing the learning outcomes of all school-going children across India through system-led reforms. Its initiatives span innovation and policy to practice and focus on learning impact at scale. Additionally, the platform prioritises EdTech integration, aiming to deploy digital solutions for in-class and at-home learning and establish evidence-based practices while harnessing the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to augment learning outcomes. Its mission is to foster effective, scalable, and long-term reform in India’s school education system, ensuring all children have equal learning opportunities
