The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced new guidelines for skill education for students in Classes 6 to 8. From the upcoming academic session, students in all CBSE-affiliated schools will learn important new skills such as coding, Artificial Intelligence (AI), digital citizenship, and design thinking. This major update aims to help students gain practical knowledge and prepare them for future jobs that use a lot of technology.
CBSE wants to move away from students just memorizing facts. Instead, the focus will be on learning by doing, through hands-on activities and projects. This new approach will make learning more interesting and useful for students.
New Skills for a Modern World
The new guidelines will introduce several important skills to middle school students:
- Coding: Learning how to give instructions to computers to create apps, websites, or games. This helps in problem-solving and logical thinking.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI): Understanding the basics of how computers can learn and make smart decisions, like the technology behind voice assistants or recommendation systems.
- Digital Citizenship: Learning how to use the internet and digital tools safely, responsibly, and ethically. This includes understanding online privacy and cyber safety.
- Design Thinking: A creative way to solve problems by understanding what people need, brainstorming ideas, and testing solutions.
To help teachers deliver this new curriculum effectively, CBSE will also conduct special training programs. These programs will guide educators on using activity materials from NCERT Skill Bodh, ensuring that the new subjects are taught in an engaging and practical way.
How Students Will Be Assessed
Unlike traditional exams, these new skill subjects will be assessed mostly through projects and practical work. The marks students get in these practical evaluations may count towards their overall school performance. This change highlights the importance of practical learning alongside regular academic studies.
What Students Will Learn in Each Class
The new curriculum is designed to build skills step-by-step from Class 6 to Class 8. Here is a breakdown of the focus areas and activities for each class:
| Class | Focus Areas | Skills and Activities |
| Class 6 | Foundations in digital and practical skills | Introduction to basic coding, computational thinking (thinking like a computer to solve problems), design thinking, and digital citizenship; hands-on projects in school labs. |
| Class 7 | Applied skills and problem-solving | Intermediate coding projects, basic AI concepts, financial literacy (understanding money matters), collaboration exercises, and real-life problem-solving tasks. |
| Class 8 | Advanced application and innovation | AI applications, data handling and interpretation (understanding information), innovation projects, ethical digital use, and presentation of project work demonstrating skill mastery. |
CBSE suggests that students will spend a total of 270 hours on practical, project-based learning across Classes 6, 7, and 8. Schools are also advised to have weekly periods dedicated to skill development and set up special skill labs to support this new way of learning. These changes aim to equip students with essential skills for a rapidly changing technological world.
