In a ground-breaking move, Kerala has taken a pioneering step in the education sector by integrating robotics technology into the newly revised school curriculum. This landmark initiative marks a significant advancement in aligning the state’s education system with emerging technological trends, aiming to equip students with future-ready skills from an early stage.

The Education Department has introduced key concepts such as circuit construction, the use of sensors and actuators, and the control of electronic devices through computer programming in the sixth chapter, titled “The World of Robots,” included in the first volume of the Class 10 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) textbook.

The new textbook is designed to enhance students’ practical skills by enabling them to understand fundamental concepts and models of robotics. For the first time in India, a state has integrated robotics technology into its school curriculum. Beginning with the new academic year, approximately 4.3 lakh Class 10 students in Kerala will have the opportunity to study robotics and engage in hands-on practical experiments.

The first activity for the children in the textbook is to prepare an automatic sanitizer dispenser that detects the presence of a hand using the Arduino breadboard, IR sensor, servo motor, jumper wires, etc. in the robotics kit provided to the schools. Then, the children will prepare smart doors that open themselves by recognizing faces through an AI-based home automation system. For this, the children will practice detecting faces using the ‘Face Detection Built-in-Model’ with the help of the programming IDE in the Picto Blox software and opening doors with the help of the webcam and Arduino kit on the laptops provided to the schools by Kite. Kite has devised a new robotics learning method in a way that helps children solve many similar practical problems with innovative systems.

KITE has completed the distribution of 29,000 robotic kits to high schools across Kerala and will provide ICT textbook training for teachers. Robotic kits will also be made available to unaided schools following the state syllabus. Building on last year’s successful robotics training for Little Kites members, this year, Class 10 students will benefit from robotics education. Additionally, following the nationwide first introduction of AI in the Class 7 ICT textbook last year, AI lessons have now been extended to Classes 8, 9, and 10 in the new curriculum.

Kerala’s new ICT curriculum, which emphasizes real-time training and hands-on learning, sets a remarkable example in the national education landscape. By integrating robotics and artificial intelligence into the school syllabus, the state is charting a new course and making historic strides in educational innovation.