Session 2026-27 / Classes 3 to 8
CBSE introduced Computational Thinking and Artificial Intelligence for classes 3 to 8 from the 2026-27 session. This is what the circulars actually say: the hours, the syllabus, who teaches it, how it is assessed, and the parts left to schools to solve.
Written from the primary documents. Last updated 23 July 2026.
Three documents govern this, all published in April 2026 and all available on the CBSE academic site. Most of what has been written about the curriculum online cites none of them, which is why the numbers in circulation vary.
| Document | Date | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Circular Acad-15/2026 | 1 April 2026 | Launches the CT and AI Curriculum Framework for classes III to VIII |
| Circular Acad-18/2026 | 9 April 2026 | Publishes the Student and Teacher Resource Books for classes 3 to 8 |
| Notification TRG-02 | 9 April 2026 | Makes Computational Thinking and Understanding AI the teacher training theme for the year |
The framework itself is published as a 32-page PDF and is worth reading before buying anything built on top of it.
The curriculum applies to all CBSE-affiliated schools for classes 3 to 8 from this session. But the word “mandatory” appears in none of the three documents. Acad-15/2026 closes with:
“All schools are advisedto take necessary steps for effective implementation of the curriculum.”
The framework describes its own time allocation as “suggested… It is flexible, and schools can go beyond the allocated time depending on the needs of the school.” TRG-02 says schools are “encouraged” to run the training activities.
In practice this means the curriculum is real and expected, but there is no stated penalty and no compliance deadline. A school that cannot find a hundred hours is not in breach of anything. That is worth knowing before a vendor sells you a deadline.
| Stage | Hours a year | Made up of |
|---|---|---|
| Preparatory Classes 3 to 5 | 50 | CT embedded in Mathematics and The World Around Us, through CT questions added into existing textbook chapters |
| Middle Classes 6 to 8 | 100 | 40 hours advanced CT, 20 hours introductory AI, 40 hours interdisciplinary projects |
Spread across roughly forty teaching weeks, that is a little over an hour a week at the preparatory stage and around two and a half hours a week at the middle stage. The framework is explicit that the allocation is suggested rather than fixed.
The curriculum follows the NCF-SE 2023 structure of curricular goals, competencies and learning outcomes. Learning outcomes are organised into four computational thinking strands that repeat and deepen at every grade from 3 to 8:
The AI component runs only at classes 6 to 8, as twelve modules of five hours each:
| Class 6 | Class 7 | Class 8 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to AI and everyday examples | AI domains: regression, classification, clustering | The AI project lifecycle |
| 2 | Basic data concepts | AI in industries | Applications and no-code AI tools |
| 3 | Simple pattern recognition and decision making | Data visualisation and analysis | Data and fairness |
| 4 | Ethics and digital responsibility | Ethics and AI bias awareness | Ethics and responsible AI |
At classes 3 to 5, CT is taught by the existing subject teachers as part of Mathematics and other subjects, using the worksheets and handbooks. No specialist is required.
At classes 6 to 8 the framework splits it: subject teachers deliver the CT component, the computer teacher delivers AI literacy, and the interdisciplinary projects are assessed by the computer teacher. In practice this means a maths teacher who has never taught computing is now delivering computational thinking, which is the part most schools underestimate.
There is no board examination at classes 3 to 8. Assessment is continuous, formative and competency based, and the framework names written CT tests, interactive group activities, practical examinations, thematic projects, reflections and discussions, and a Teacher Observation Journal at every stage.
That has a consequence schools often notice late. Because nothing external verifies delivery, the record a school keeps is the assessment. There is no other evidence that the fifty or hundred hours happened.
More than most boards. Under Acad-18/2026 CBSE published six Student Handbooks and six Teacher Handbooks, one per class from 3 to 8, alongside the framework and a webinar. The Teacher Handbooks are the student books with worked solutions. They are free to download from the CBSE academic site.
The CT chapters mirror the NCERT mathematics textbook chapter for chapter, which is what makes the integration work: a class studying Prime Time or Quadrilaterals meets CT questions on that same chapter.
The handbooks cover the content. Four things are left to the school:
We read the framework and both circulars and built a programme around the parts schools are left holding. Alea already teaches every NCERT mathematics chapter that CBSE attaches CT to across classes 3 to 8, so computational thinking arrives inside the chapter a class is already on rather than as a new subject.
It runs on devices a school already has, with no lab and nothing to install, and we post printed workbooks to schools whose classrooms have no devices. If you would like the full delivery model and pricing, write to info@alealearning.com.
CBSE introduced the Computational Thinking and AI curriculum for all affiliated schools for classes 3 to 8 from session 2026-27. The circular's own wording is that schools are 'advised to take necessary steps for effective implementation', and the framework describes the hours as 'suggested' and 'flexible'. So the curriculum applies to every affiliated school, but the circulars do not set a penalty or a compliance deadline.
Classes 3 to 8, from the 2026-27 academic session. Circular Acad-15/2026 launched it on 1 April 2026.
Fifty hours a year at the preparatory stage, classes 3 to 5. One hundred hours a year at the middle stage, classes 6 to 8. The hundred hours are made up of 40 hours of advanced computational thinking, 20 hours of introductory AI, and 40 hours of interdisciplinary projects.
No. At classes 3 to 5 computational thinking is embedded in Mathematics and The World Around Us, with CT questions added into existing textbook chapters. At classes 6 to 8 it remains integrated, with specific AI topics and cross-subject projects on top.
No. Assessment is continuous, formative and competency based. The framework lists written CT tests, group activities, practical examinations, thematic projects, reflective journals and a Teacher Observation Journal at every stage.
At classes 3 to 5, subject teachers deliver CT as part of Mathematics and other subjects. At classes 6 to 8 it is shared: subject teachers deliver the CT component and the computer teacher delivers AI literacy, with the interdisciplinary projects assessed by the computer teacher.
Not for classes 3 to 5. The framework places the whole preparatory stage inside Mathematics, and is explicitly platform-neutral, recommending free and open-source tools. Classes 6 to 8 need some computer access for the AI modules and the projects.
The curriculum framework, plus six Student Handbooks and six Teacher Handbooks covering classes 3 to 8, all published free on cbseacademic.nic.in under Circular Acad-18/2026. The Teacher Handbooks are the student books with worked solutions.
Notification TRG-02 makes 'Computational Thinking and Understanding AI' the training theme for 2026-27, with seven sub-themes. It describes district-level workshops, expert-led talks and Board regional workshops, carrying CPD hours under Domain-II, and asks that training records be maintained. Schools are 'encouraged' to take part.
This curriculum covers classes 3 to 8. AI already exists separately as a skill subject at the secondary and senior secondary levels, which is a different syllabus with its own subject codes and board assessment.
Sources: CBSE Circular Acad-15/2026, Circular Acad-18/2026, Notification TRG-02, and the Computational Thinking and Artificial Intelligence Curriculum for Classes 3-8, all published by the Central Board of Secondary Education. Alea Learning is not affiliated with or endorsed by CBSE. See also our writing on how children actually learn.
Computational Thinking and AI for classes 3 to 8, with or without a computer lab. Write to info@alealearning.com and we will send the delivery model and pricing.