Chandigarh: Even as the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) rolls out a structured Computational Thinking (CT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) curriculum for students from Classes III to VIII, the Union ministry of education has declined to fund Chandigarh’s proposed Rs 95-lakh AI initiative for 111 govt schools under the Samagra Shiksha scheme.The move has left Chandigarh without central support for an ambitious project aimed at introducing not only AI and computational thinking but also industry-readiness assessment, student profiling and counselling across govt schools.Documents of the Project Approval Board (PAB) for 2026-27 show that Chandigarh had sought Rs 95 lakh for a project titled “Computational Thinking & Artificial Intelligence (CT & AI) driven Industry Readiness Evaluation, Student Profiling & Counselling” covering 111 schools. However, the proposal was not approved and the sanctioned amount stands at nil.The PAB recommendation records only a brief observation: “Not recommended as discussed with the UT during the Pre-PAB.” No detailed reasons have been cited.The rejection comes at a time when CBSE is expanding AI education in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. From the 2026-27 academic session, the board has introduced a dedicated Computational Thinking and Artificial Intelligence curriculum for Classes III to VIII, exposing students to logical reasoning, coding basics, data handling, problem-solving and the responsible use of AI through age-appropriate learning modules.While AI is already offered as a skill subject at the secondary level in many CBSE-affiliated schools, the new framework marks a significant shift by bringing AI and computational thinking into the mainstream classroom at the elementary and middle-school levels.Against this backdrop, Chandigarh’s proposal was seen as an attempt to give govt school students a wider AI-linked ecosystem, combining technology learning with career readiness and counselling support. However, unlike several other proposals submitted by the UT, the AI initiative failed to secure approval.The Centre cleared a range of quality-improvement interventions proposed by Chandigarh under Samagra Shiksha, including school safety audits, reading melas, Vidyanjali awareness activities, documentation of best practices, exposure visits and inclusive sports meets. The AI proposal was the notable exception.The recommendation document does not clarify whether the proposal was found ineligible, required modifications or could be reconsidered in a revised form. It also remains unclear whether the UT administration may pursue the initiative through its own resources.Director school education Nitish Singla was contacted for comments on the reasons behind the rejection and whether the department plans to resubmit or independently fund the project. No response was received till the filing of the report.The decision leaves Chandigarh’s govt schools without central funding for a dedicated AI programme at a time when artificial intelligence and computational thinking are becoming integral components of school education nationwide.
