Across India, classrooms are on the cusp of a major technological shift. Governments are rolling out artificial intelligence enabled learning tools, promising smarter assessments, personalised education, and a narrowing of the gap between urban and rural schools. From virtual classrooms to real-time learning analytics, the vision is ambitious and futuristic.
Yet, amid the enthusiasm, one crucial question remains largely unaddressed: are teachers ready for AI-driven classrooms?
The Odisha government recently announced that, under the Odisha School Education Programme Authority (OSEPA), the state plans to introduce AI-based virtual classrooms and digital assessment systems in 5,370 government and government-aided schools.
These initiatives aim to support geographically and financially disadvantaged students by providing access to advanced learning tools within government schools. AI-enabled interactive panels will help students learn through digital content in multiple languages, while virtual sessions conducted by state-level experts promise to overcome teacher shortages and location barriers.
Teachers, too, are expected to benefit. The new systems will allow educators to conduct live classes from desktops, laptops, or even smartphones. AI-powered digital assessment platforms can track students’ attention levels, participation, and academic progress in real time, offering insights that were once unimaginable in overcrowded classrooms.
Yet, the success of such initiatives does not hinge on technology alone. It depends on the people expected to use it every day, especially teachers.
At the national level, NEP 2020 and the 2025–26 Union Budget, which allocated ₹500 crore for AI in education, have laid the groundwork for integrating AI and computational thinking into school curricula. Platforms such as DIKSHA and PM eVIDYA are being strengthened, and teacher training programmes are being conducted in partnership with private players like Intel and IBM.
However, many teachers, particularly in rural and semi-urban schools, say the reality on the ground is far more complicated.
While AI training sessions are being held as part of faculty development programmes, practical, hands-on guidance remains uneven. Several teachers say the training focuses on showcasing tools rather than explaining how much AI should be used, when human judgment must take over, and how to integrate technology meaningfully into everyday teaching.
Ironically, a system meant to reduce teachers’ burden often ends up adding to it. Educators are expected to learn new platforms, manage digital dashboards, interpret data analytics, and redesign lesson plans all while continuing existing responsibilities such as syllabus completion, examinations, administrative work, and extracurricular duties.
Many teachers say they are left to learn AI tools on their own, without structured mentoring or time carved out for adaptation. “AI can definitely help with lesson planning and assessments,” a school teacher said, “but we are expected to become tech experts overnight.”
Experts warn that training alone is not enough. Teachers need continuous handholding, clear ethical and pedagogical guidelines, reduced administrative workload during transition periods, and reliable infrastructure, especially in rural schools. Without these, AI risks becoming another top-down reform that looks impressive in policy documents but struggles in classrooms.
Government policies stress that AI is meant to support, not replace, teachers. But unless educators are genuinely empowered, the gap between policy intent and classroom reality may continue to widen.
As AI classrooms become a reality, the question is no longer whether technology will enter schools, but how it will be integrated and whether teachers will be treated as partners in change, not just end-users of new systems.