In a nation where over 247 million children navigate the corridors of school education, the dream of “Education for All” hinges on innovation. India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 envisions a technology-empowered ecosystem that bridges urban-rural divides, personalizes learning, and fosters equity – goals embodied in the flagship Samagra Shiksha. As Artificial Intelligence (AI) emerges as a game-changer, its integration into SSA activities promises to redefine planning, teaching, and administration. Yet, realizing this vision demands strategic capacity building, particularly through bodies like the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA). This article reviews the stakeholders, training frameworks, public-private partnerships, and NIEPA’s evolving role in AI-driven educational planning, drawing on recent initiatives to illuminate pathways for inclusive progress.

A Comprehensive Review: Stakeholders, Training, and Institutional Roles in AI Integration

Personnel Across Levels: From Policy to Classroom

AI’s infusion into SSA – from data analytics in UDISE+ for resource allocation to AI tutors for remedial teaching – engages a multi-tiered cadre. At the central level, Ministry of Education (MoE) officials in the Department of School Education & Literacy oversee policy and funding, collaborating with NCERT’s Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET) for AI-enhanced content. State-level State Project Directors (SPDs) and SCERTs adapt tools for local needs, such as ICT-enabled classrooms in underserved districts. District and block levels see District Education Officers (DEOs) and Block Resource Persons (BRPs) leveraging AI for predictive analytics on enrollment and equity. At the school level, principals and teachers- over 10.1 million strong – drive implementation, with IT coordinators ensuring seamless tech adoption. This hierarchy, aligned with SSA’s 2024-25 Annual Work Plan & Budget, targets 1.2 lakh ICT classrooms, emphasizing AI’s role in addressing teacher shortages and dropout risks.

Reclaiming Glory: How NIEPA Can Regain its Leadership in Educational Planning

Strengthening Educational Planning in India: The Role of Department of Educational Planning, NIEPA

Training Ecosystem: Building AI Fluency for Educators

Effective AI adoption under SSA requires robust training, prioritizing ethical use and pedagogical integration. Target trainees include government school teachers (starting with those in aspirational districts), administrators, and officers – focusing on B.Ed./D.El.Ed.-qualified educators with basic digital literacy. Programs span 5-10 days for introductory modules (e.g., CIET-NCERT’s “AI in Education” workshops) to 15-20 days for hands-on AI tool mastery, with annual 2-3 day refreshers. Imparters range from public bodies like CIET, SCERTs, and DIETs to private partners via platforms like DIKSHA. For instance, Adobe’s MoU with MoE trains 5 lakh teachers in AI basics, while Microsoft’s partnership equips 1 crore learners with skilling certifications. These efforts, free or subsidized, underscore NEP’s push for 50% digital literacy by 2025.

MoUs with Private Agencies: Catalyzing Scale and Expertise

To accelerate rollout, MoE has forged Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with tech giants, prioritizing government teachers for equitable impact. The Canva-NCERT MoU (2025) delivers AI-powered design training on DIKSHA in regional languages, reaching millions via PM e-Vidya. AICTE-OpenAI MoU (2025) democratizes generative AI for faculty, extending SSA modules with long-term outcome studies. Extended from 2023, the MoE-Adobe collaboration certifies ethical AI use for 2 crore students, while IIT Madras-OpenAI tie-up under AI Samarth validates foundational AI for 2 lakh participants by year-end. These partnerships, monitored for SSA alignment, blend private innovation with public oversight, starting with public schools before broader scaling.

NCERT’s Pivotal Role: Curriculum and Hands-On Enablement

As NEP’s curriculum architect, NCERT spearheads AI integration through CIET’s five-day online trainings on AI for educators, empowering 50,000+ participants in generative tools for lesson planning. Collaborations like COL-CEMCA-CIET sessions emphasize AI’s practical applications in inclusive education, while the AI Curriculum Handbook ensures ethical embedding in textbooks. NCERT’s efforts pilot AI in SSA for multilingual content, fostering a teacher-in-the-loop model for refined, bias-free learning.

NIEPA’s Untapped Potential: Elevating AI in Planning

NIEPA’s mandate in educational governance positions it as an AI planning powerhouse, yet its potential remains underexplored amid NEP’s digital surge. Current initiatives like the Professional Development Programme (PDP) on NEP 2020 and Education 4.0 integrate Generative AI for online teaching, training 500+ professionals in prompt engineering, ethical AI, and MOOC design over 6 days (₹1,000 fee; online via SWAYAM). With 30-day mentoring and certifications, it addresses gaps in data-driven planning, but only 10-20% of NIEPA’s 50+ annual programs focus on AI.

To expand, NIEPA could lead a National AI Framework for Educational Planning (2025-26), piloting predictive dashboards for SSA budgeting and equity audits. A dedicated AI Research Cell (2026-28) would evaluate AI’s SDG 4 impact, while scaled PDP certifications target 10,000 administrators yearly via MoUs with Google Cloud and IITs. Long-term, as a South Asia AI Hub, NIEPA could secure 5% of SSA’s digital budget for simulation labs, reclaiming its 1986 policy-shaping legacy in edtech governance.

Concluding Observations: Towards an AI-Equipped Future

AI’s integration into Samagra Shiksha holds transformative promise for India’s education landscape – alleviating shortages, personalizing pathways, and advancing equity – but demands urgent action on capacity gaps and ethical safeguards. NIEPA’s revitalization, alongside NCERT’s toolkit and MoU-driven trainings, can cascade innovations from planners to classrooms, aligning with Budget 2025’s AI thrust. Challenges like digital divides persist, yet starting with government schools ensures inclusive foundations. Policymakers must prioritize funding and monitoring to harness AI not as a disruptor, but as an ally for “Education for All.” As we stand on October 18, 2025, the PDP’s imminent cohort signals momentum – let’s advocate for bolder explorations of NIEPA’s role to script a truly equitable tomorrow.

This article is part of our ongoing series on NEP 2020 implementation at Education for All in India. Share your thoughts in the comments below!