The facts, as published — nothing more
Everything below comes from the department’s announcements and reporting on them. Where a detail is still unclear (hours, marks weightage, the private-school route), we say so rather than guess. Sources are listed at the foot of the page.
- Who decided
- Karnataka's Department of School Education and Literacy, implemented through Samagra Shikshana Karnataka (SSK) after Project Approval Board clearance.
- What
- Artificial Intelligence offered as an NSQF-aligned vocational (skill) subject for Classes 9 and 10 — not as a separate academic subject.
- From when
- Academic year 2026-27, first phase.
- Which schools
- 1,642 government high schools: 1,180 newly approved, 381 existing NSQF schools, and 81 single-sector vocational schools where Beauty & Wellness, Retail and Apparel are replaced by AI.
- Third language
- In participating schools, students may take the NSQF AI subject in place of the third-language option. Third-language teaching continues in lower classes.
- Teacher
- One AI guest teacher per school for 2026-27, selected by a committee headed by the School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC). The government honorarium is ₹20,000 a month. Our advice to any school hiring on its own budget: plan for ₹20,000–40,000 a month, because the eligibility bar (a CS/IT degree or diploma plus a year of experience) is the same bar an IT company hires at, and ₹20,000 loses that candidate by the second term.
- Teacher eligibility
- Diploma in CS/IT, or BCA / B.Sc (CS or IT), or graduation plus PGDCA, or DOEACC 'A' level; at least one year of relevant work experience; Kannada and English.
- Private schools
- Department officials have stated that private unaided schools can offer NSQF-recognised AI courses. The approval route for a private school should be confirmed with the department and your board.
What a vocational subject actually looks like in a school week
NSQF (National Skills Qualification Framework) is the national ladder that says what a learner can do at each level, so a Class 10 skill certificate from Belagavi means the same thing as one from Bhopal.
PSSCIVE, a unit of NCERT, writes the school curricula for NSQF subjects together with the industry’s Sector Skill Council, which also assesses the practical and co-signs the certificate with the state board.
Samagra Shiksha is the centrally sponsored scheme that funds all of this in government and aided schools. In Karnataka it runs as Samagra Shikshana Karnataka.
The structure on the right is from the two PSSCIVE AI curricula published for Classes 9–10. Karnataka’s own scheme may vary in the details; we confirm the exact version your school will follow during the audit.
About 200–210 hours per class, split across employability skills, vocational skills, and field visits or bootcamps.
60–75 hours: communication, self-management, basic ICT, entrepreneurship and green skills. Common to every NSQF subject.
120 hours of AI content: data literacy, Python, machine-learning basics, neural networks, an AI project, and AI bias and ethics in Class 10.
At least three field visits or bootcamps a year; an optional one-week on-the-job stint during vacation.
100 marks per class: a written paper plus practical exam, viva, practical file or portfolio, and continuous evaluation. The practical is judged by two evaluators — the subject teacher and an industry expert.
The published curricula ask for i3-class desktops with 8 GB RAM, broadband, and Python with standard data-science libraries. Our minimum is 16 GB RAM: 8 GB runs the textbook exercises but cannot run even small AI models locally, and a class that only ever calls someone else's AI over the internet learns less and stalls when the connection does. Existing machines can often be upgraded rather than replaced.
The syllabus asks a 14-year-old to train a neural network. Your teacher has to make that feel like play.
Python, data literacy, machine learning, AI bias, a working project — assessed by a written paper, a practical exam, a viva and a portfolio. On paper it is 200 hours. In practice it is a new teacher, often on a one-year honorarium, alone in a lab with no departmental colleague to ask. Most schools do not fail at approval. They fail quietly in the second term.
Six pieces. Take all of them or the two you are missing.
- 01
Readiness audit
Two weeks. We walk your lab, timetable, staffing and approval route against what the subject actually demands, and hand your management a written report with a go / fix-first / wait recommendation.
You get: Written readiness report - 02
Teacher hiring and onboarding
A screening rubric mapped to the eligibility rules, a practical test (can they actually teach a 14-year-old a loop?), interview support for your SDMC or management, and a 20-day induction plan.
You get: Shortlist, rubric, induction plan - 03
Curriculum to classroom
The prescribed syllabus is a list of units and hours. We turn it into lesson plans, lab sheets and a project bank built on local businesses — so a Belagavi student trains a model on a kirana store's sales, not on a US housing dataset.
You get: Lesson plans, lab sheets, project bank - 04
Industry evaluator and field visits
The practical exam needs an industry expert beside your teacher. BiCSoM builds AI software every working day; we sit on that panel, host field visits, and run the bootcamps the scheme asks for.
You get: Evaluator seat, 3 field visits a year - 05
Parents and the third-language question
Parents will ask whether choosing AI hurts their child's Hindi or Sanskrit marks, and what the certificate is worth. We prepare the one-page explainer, the orientation deck and the FAQ your front office needs.
You get: Parent kit - 06
Run and review
Monthly coaching for your AI teacher, a term-wise review with management, and a mid-year check that students are on track for the practical file and viva — not just the written paper.
You get: Monthly coaching, term reviews
Four kinds of institution, four different first steps
Government high schools already allotted AI
You have the guest teacher post and a July deadline that has passed. The question now is whether the first batch actually learns. We support the teacher, the SDMC and the practical assessment.
Private unaided schools
You want to offer AI as a recognised vocational subject rather than a 'coding club'. We help you understand the approval route, set up the lab and teacher, and deliver the subject to the standard the assessment expects.
Aided schools and school groups
Several campuses, one plan. A hub-and-spoke lab, a shared teacher pool and one evaluator panel cost less than six separate attempts.
Pre-University colleges
Officials have indicated the AI skill stream can continue at PU level through NSQF-aligned courses. If your Class 10 students will arrive having done AI, your Class 11 needs an answer.
We build AI for a living, and we teach it in North Karnataka
BAIS is the AI school of BiCSoM Technologies, a software and design company that builds AI products for clients. Our school runs an 8-week programme for business students in Belagavi, Dharwad and Hubballi, teaching them to work with AI using free tools and no coding.
That combination is the point. The practical exam in an NSQF AI subject needs an industry expert on the panel. The curriculum needs projects built on real local data. The teacher needs someone to call when a lesson falls flat. A pure training company has none of the first; a pure software company has none of the last.
We are new to schools and say so plainly. What we bring is current practice, local presence, and a published method for teaching AI to non-technical learners that we already run with students a few years older than yours.
- We are not a certifying body. NSQF certificates are issued jointly by the Sector Skill Council and the school board, not by BAIS.
- We cannot guarantee approval. For government schools the allotment comes through SSK and the Project Approval Board; for private schools it depends on the department and your board.
- We do not replace your teacher. The scheme requires a qualified teacher on your rolls; we make that teacher good at the job.
- We do not sell hardware. We tell you what the lab needs and help you reuse what you already own.
Straight answers, with the source behind each
Is AI compulsory for Class 9 and 10 students in Karnataka?
No. In the 1,642 government high schools in the 2026-27 first phase, AI is offered as an NSQF vocational option that a student may take in place of the third language. It is a choice for the student and the school, not a mandate.
Does choosing AI remove the third language entirely?
For that student in Classes 9 and 10, the NSQF AI subject takes the place of the third-language option. The department has said third-language teaching continues in lower classes and that language teachers will not be transferred because of the AI programme.
Who issues the certificate at the end?
Under the Samagra Shiksha vocational scheme, the Sector Skill Council assesses practical skills and certifies jointly with the state school board. BAIS is an implementation partner; we do not issue NSQF certificates.
Can a private school offer AI as an NSQF subject?
Department officials have stated that private unaided schools can offer NSQF-recognised AI courses. The exact approval route depends on your board and the department, and it is the first thing we check in a readiness audit.
What qualifications must the AI teacher have?
Karnataka's notification asks for a Diploma in CS/IT, or BCA / B.Sc in CS or IT, or graduation with PGDCA, or DOEACC 'A' level, plus at least one year of relevant work experience and the ability to teach in Kannada and English. The PSSCIVE curriculum also recommends a 20-day induction before the teacher starts.
What does the school need in its computer lab?
The published curricula ask for i3-class desktops with 8 GB RAM, broadband, and Python with standard data-science libraries. We recommend 16 GB RAM as the working minimum: 8 GB handles the Python and scikit-learn exercises but cannot run even small AI models on the machine, so every AI task depends on the internet connection. A RAM upgrade on existing desktops is usually far cheaper than new machines, and we check this in the readiness audit.
Do students need to know coding before Class 9?
No. The curricula assume only basic science and mathematics. Python is taught inside the subject. What students do need is a teacher who can make abstract ideas concrete, which is where most schools struggle.
How much time does the subject take in the timetable?
Roughly 200–210 hours a year per class, which works out to roughly 5–6 hours a week across employability skills, AI content and field visits. We help you fit this into your existing timetable during the readiness audit.
What does BAIS charge?
It depends on which of the six services you need and how many campuses. After a 30-minute call we send a written scope and quote. For government schools, the teacher's ₹20,000 honorarium is funded by the scheme; our engagement is separate and fee-based. For private schools hiring their own AI teacher, budget ₹20,000–40,000 a month for the salary on top of our fee.
Tell us about your school. We’ll tell you what it would take.
Thirty minutes with someone from the BAIS team. You bring your questions; we bring what we know about the scheme and what we have seen in labs. If the honest answer is “wait a year”, you will hear it.
- Karnataka introduces AI as vocational subject for Classes 9 and 10 under NSQF — CareerIndia, 21 Sep 2026
- Karnataka introduces AI course under NSQF framework — Sakshi Education, 23 Sep 2026
- AI education to begin in Karnataka government high schools; guest teachers to be appointed — News First, 19 Jul 2026
- Vocational Education under Samagra Shiksha — Ministry of Education
- Artificial Intelligence Assistant (IT-ITeS), Classes IX–X curriculum — PSSCIVE, NCERT
- NSQF-aligned AI Solution Developer Trainee, Classes 9–10 curriculum — PSSCIVE via SCERT Goa
This page describes a government scheme as reported publicly; it is not an official notification. Schools should confirm current rules with the Department of School Education and Literacy, Government of Karnataka, Samagra Shikshana Karnataka and their examination board before making decisions. BAIS is an independent private company and is not affiliated with any of them.