India on Track to Lead with Largest AI-Ready School Population: Jayant Chaudhary

India is on its way to becoming the global leader in preparing school students for artificial intelligence, said Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State for Education and Skill Development, while celebrating 10 years of the Skill India Mission. As per his statement, the country is building the foundation for an AI-ready generation through focused efforts in digital literacy, coding, data science, and future tech. These remarks were made during a national event that marked a decade of this ambitious skill development programme launched back in 2015.

I wanted to cover this development because India’s journey in skilling its youth for future jobs is more important now than ever. The entire world is rapidly shifting towards AI, automation, and machine learning. If our students, especially from government and rural schools, are empowered early on, they won’t just find jobs — they’ll create them. It’s a bold vision, and as someone who follows educational policy and tech changes, I find it important to highlight such initiatives. The progress of Skill India directly affects millions of young Indians who are looking to upskill and stay relevant in the job market.

India’s Skill Push: A Decade of Progress

Launched in 2015, the Skill India Mission aimed to train youth in industry-relevant skills and improve their employability. Over the last 10 years, the scheme has trained over 1.5 crore individuals under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY). From technical training to soft skills, the government has partnered with industries, institutions, and even startups to build a workforce that can meet both current and future demands.

In his speech, Jayant Chaudhary highlighted how India has successfully integrated AI and digital tech into school-level learning under this initiative. Key updates include:

National Education Policy (NEP 2020) promoting coding and digital skills from Grade 6
AI and emerging tech bootcamps in over 5,000 schools across India
Integration of AI curriculum by CBSE and state boards
Public-private partnerships for skilling teachers in digital tools
Special focus on rural schools and marginalised students

Why “AI-Ready” Schools Matter

In simple words, an AI-ready school prepares students to understand and use artificial intelligence in real-world applications. It’s not just about teaching coding — it’s about training students to use data, solve problems with logic, and understand how AI can be used in fields like agriculture, healthcare, and finance.

India has one of the youngest populations in the world, with over 250 million school-going students. If this population is skilled properly, India will not just meet its own tech demands, but will also supply AI talent to the global market.

However, for this vision to truly work, the training has to be uniform. While metro schools have already started AI clubs and robotics labs, rural schools still lack internet and digital infrastructure. The government’s push through Skill India to bridge this gap is what makes this announcement by Jayant Chaudhary so crucial.

Real-World Applications Already Visible

Under various pilot projects, students in several government schools have created AI-based models for:

Crop health detection using drones
Voice-based medical assistance for elderly villagers
Local language chatbots for digital learning
Pollution tracking systems in urban slums

These are not just academic exercises — they’re proof that even young students, when given the tools and training, can innovate at a real-world level.

Challenges That Still Exist

While the roadmap is strong, India still faces key hurdles in making all schools AI-ready:

Internet access is still patchy in many districts
Lack of trained AI or computer science teachers
High teacher-student ratio affects focused learning
Resistance to change in traditional curriculum formats

Unless these are tackled head-on with proper funding and monitoring, only a limited set of students will truly benefit.

Education and Employment Can Transform Society: Dinesh Gundu Rao Highlights the Way Forward

During a recent public address in Mangaluru, Karnataka’s Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao stressed that education and employment are two powerful tools that can shape the future of any society. He pointed out that when people are educated and have meaningful jobs, they can rise above social divisions, poverty, and other long-standing issues. His statement came while addressing students and faculty at a function organised at Srinivas University, where he also touched on the importance of knowledge-driven growth.

I felt the need to write about this because it’s rare to hear such a strong political focus on the link between education, employment and overall societal transformation. We often hear about schemes, budgets and infrastructure, but rarely is the bigger picture discussed—how these two sectors can change the life of a common person. This topic matters to all of us, especially the youth, who are navigating a fast-changing job market while also dealing with rising academic pressure. By writing about this, I hope more people start thinking seriously about how education is not just about degrees, and employment is not just about money—it’s about dignity, stability and progress.

Why Education and Employment Matter Together

Education and employment are often treated as separate issues, but in reality, they go hand-in-hand. Education gives people the ability to think, create and contribute. Employment gives them the opportunity to apply what they know, support their families, and be part of the economy. According to Dinesh Gundu Rao, these two pillars must be developed together if we want a fairer and more productive society.

He stressed that:

Lack of access to education pushes people into poverty.
Unemployment leads to frustration, crime, and brain drain.
A society that fails to create job-ready youth will always remain unequal.

This is why investing in schools, colleges, and job-oriented courses is not just a policy decision—it’s a moral responsibility.

Government’s Role in Creating Equal Opportunities

During the event, Rao mentioned that governments should focus not only on building schools and colleges but also on ensuring the quality of education. He said students from rural areas often struggle because they don’t have the same access to English-medium teaching or computer labs as those in urban areas. This kind of inequality reflects in the job market too, where rural youth get fewer chances.

He also pointed out that:

Many graduates remain unemployed or underemployed because they are not industry-ready.
There is a big gap between what is taught in classrooms and what the job market demands.
Career counselling and vocational training should start at the school level.

According to him, if we want to see real change, we need long-term thinking and serious government commitment—not just one-time policies or election promises.

Importance of Social Harmony for Progress

One of the key messages Rao delivered was about unity. He said education should be a tool to unite people and not divide them. The minister raised concern about how communalism and polarisation are slowly taking attention away from important issues like job creation and educational reform.

He added that:

When youth are unemployed, they are more vulnerable to divisive ideologies.
Education can help people develop critical thinking and tolerance.
A strong education and employment ecosystem reduces dependence on populist politics.

He urged young people to stay informed, ask questions, and focus on real-life issues rather than distractions.