CBSE wants students to be trained in AI, IT, retail, refrigeration

CBSE has asked its affiliated schools to urgently implement its initiatives and embed skill education into their curriculum without delay to prepare well-rounded and future-ready students

NEW DELHI: As part of its initiatives for promoting skill education among students of Class 6 to 12, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has asked its schools to offer beauty and wellness, air-conditioning and refrigeration, apparel, Information Technology (IT), artificial intelligence (AI) among others as skill subjects.

CBSE said it aims to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and real-world application, fostering students’ readiness for future challenges and opportunities. (Representational image)

To prepare “well-rounded and future-ready students,” the board has asked its affiliated schools to “urgently” implement the board’s initiatives and embed skill education into their curriculum “without delay”.

“By integrating vocational skills at the school level, CBSE aims to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and real-world application, fostering students’ readiness for future challenges and opportunities,” the boards said in a circular.

CBSE is embedding skill (vocational) education as a vital component of the school curriculum in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP 2020) and National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE), a guideline for the curriculum, teaching practices, and textbooks in Indian schools. NEP 2020 launched by the central government on July 29, 2020, aims to transform the country’s education system — aligning it with the needs of the future while keeping it “rooted in Indianness”.

Students of classes 6 to 8 can opt for one or more out of 34 modules in an academic session with assessment on the basis of projects at the school level. AI, IT, coding, financial literacy, beauty and wellness, travel and tourism, pottery, baking, and Kashmiri embroidery are among the 34 modules. The board has also developed a portal to register and certify students who have opted for skill modules.

Students of classes 9 and 10 can choose from 22 skill subjects including retail, IT, beauty and wellness, apparel, multimedia, and data science.

“If a student fails in any one of the three elective subjects (Science, Mathematics, and Social Science), then it will be replaced by the skill subject (offered as a sixth additional subject) and the result of the class 10 board examination will be computed accordingly,” the board said in the circular.

Students of classes 11 and 12 can choose from 43 skill subjects including banking, marketing, insurance, air conditioning and refrigeration, yoga, and design among others.

A module refers to a particular topic or set of topics and a subject typically refers to a broader area of study that may include multiple modules. The skill subjects offered by CBSE have a weightage of 100 marks and are mapped to a defined job role.

The schools do not have to pay any fee to the board for offering any skill module or skill subject or for downloading any certificate.

Minakshi Kushwaha, principal of Delhi-based private school Birla Vidya Niketan said her school has been following CBSE’s directions since August 2024 when the board asked schools to set up ‘Composite Skill Labs’ to provide training and enhance students’ employment prospects.

“All the skill subjects and modules cannot be incorporated by every school. We are offering various skills subjects including tourism, IT, AI, and Yoga. Through such initiatives, students are exposed to these skills and get an idea about these areas. They can pursue college courses incorporating these skill subjects,” she said.