Only 13 per cent schools achieve system-wide AI integration in India: Report

Only 13 per cent of Indian schools have achieved advanced, system-wide AI integration, while 91 per cent of teachers want clear rules for student AI use, a QS I-GAUGE report found. Higher education faculty also flagged concerns over academic dishonesty and overdependence

New Delhi: Only 13 per cent schools in India have achieved advanced, system-wide integration of artificial intelligence and 91 per cent teachers believe it is necessary for schools to establish clear parameters defining boundaries for use of AI by students in academic work, according to a new report by QS I-GAUGE.

QS I-GAUGE is an independent education-rating system that brings together the global experience and expertise of London-based QS Quacquarelli Symonds and the knowledge of Indian educational luminaries.

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According to another QS I-GAUGE report on AI adoption in higher education, four in five faculty members say their institutions are ready but 78 per cent fear overuse will weaken students’ independent thinking and problem-solving.

The voluntary surveys drew responses from 1,209 teachers from 71 K-12 institutions across 21 states and Union Territories, and 1,118 faculty responses from 146 higher education institutions across 27 states and UTs. Together, the reports examine institutional readiness, teacher capacity, governance, classroom use and concerns about integrity, privacy and excessive dependence on automation.

“Among schoolteachers, 88 per cent said their leadership regarded AI as vital to future-ready education and 86 per cent said their schools were prepared to offer structured professional development.

“Yet institutional readiness remained uneven: 25 per cent each were at the structured-implementation and exploration stages, 15 per cent at awareness, 14 per cent at partial implementation, 5 per cent at pilot stage and 3 per cent reported no readiness,” the school education report said.

While 91 per cent school teachers wanted defined boundaries for student use, faculty-use protocols, cyber safety and academic-integrity frameworks were among the top identified priorities. Parents’ leading concerns, as reported by teachers, were data privacy and cognitive dependence, both at 77 per cent, followed by increased screen time at 76 per cent.

“Assessment of institutional readiness reveals a fragmented landscape with only 25 per cent schools having initiated structured AI implementation, 25 per cent remaining in an exploratory phase and only 13 per cent achieving advanced system wide-integration,” the report said.

In colleges and universities, 83 per cent of faculty said AI could make administrative work more efficient and 76 per cent expected it to improve academic performance.

“Seventy-eight of the faculty are concerned that relying too heavily on AI tools will reduce students’ independent thinking and problem-solving skills. Seventy-six per cent of the faculty believe that using AI will boost students’ overall academic performance and create a more productive learning experience.

“To successfully adopt AI, the top two institutional resources requested by faculty are hands-on training workshops (cited by 71 per cent of respondents) and access to premium, enterprise-level AI tools (cited by 61 per cent). When asked about their student-focused concerns regarding AI, the two issues most frequently selected by faculty were academic dishonesty (72 per cent) and students becoming excessively dependent on AI to complete their work (63 per cent),” the higher education report said.

According to QS India chair Ashwin Fernandes, the goal should be “not simply greater AI adoption, but responsible AI capability”, combining innovation with inclusion, academic integrity and human judgement.

“India’s emerging AI vision reflects a broader ambition to become not simply a consumer of AI, but a creator of technology, talent and solutions that can contribute globally. The goal should not simply be greater AI adoption, but responsible AI capability. The institutions that lead will be those that combine innovation with inclusion, academic integrity and human judgement,” said Dr Ashwin Fernandes, chair, QS India, and vice president, Strategic and International Engagement, QS Quacquarelli Symonds.