West Bengal to Introduce Coding, Robotics and Python in Upper-Primary Schools
Information and Communication Technology will become a regular subject for Classes 5 to 8 in state-run schools from the coming academic session.
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West Bengal to Introduce Coding for Classes 5 to 8 in state-run schools
Students in West Bengal’s government schools will soon be writing their first lines of code in class. The state will add Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a new subject for Classes 5 to 8 from the upcoming academic session, covering coding, robotics, Python and core information technology, as reported by Elets Digital Learning after School Education Minister Dipak Barman announced the plan.
A new subject for the upper-primary years
ICT will sit alongside the regular subjects rather than operate as an optional club or a mid-year add-on. Barman said the syllabus will bring together robotics, coding, Python and the fundamentals of information technology. Bengali media outlets carrying the announcement describe it as a fresh addition to the curriculum of all state-run schools for Classes 5 to 8, which are the upper-primary and early middle-school years.
Python is a notable pick. Widely used in professional software work and in data analysis, it is also considered one of the more beginner-friendly languages, which makes it a common starting point for school-level programming.
Textbooks due in January
Books for the new subject are expected to reach schools in January, along with the other core textbooks for the session. That timing lets students begin the ICT module at the start of the academic year. The education department has also said that Hindi, Sanskrit and Arabic textbooks will be free for Classes 7 and 8 in the coming session.
The gaps still to be filled
Several practical details remain unannounced. No dedicated teacher-training plan for the ICT subject has been made public so far, and the reports do not specify how many periods a week the subject will get or how robotics will be taught in schools without equipment. Members of the state curriculum committee have indicated that adding technology-based subjects will help state schools keep pace with CBSE and CISCE institutions, but the classroom rollout will decide how far that holds true.
Infrastructure may be less of a hurdle than it once was. In February, the state cabinet cleared a Rs 2,349.78-crore, ADB-backed programme for 432 schools, which Careers360 reported includes smart classrooms, digital learning tools and upgraded ICT labs along with teacher training. Whether those facilities reach the schools that will teach ICT first has not been spelled out.
Part of a wider push toward tech subjects
The move follows changes at the higher secondary level, where the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education has added subjects such as artificial intelligence and data science for Classes 11 and 12. Other states are heading in a similar direction; Karnataka, for instance, has announced plans to bring robotics, coding and STEAM education into government schools.
For families, the change means technology skills that were mostly available through paid coaching centres in Kolkata and other cities may now be taught in the school timetable itself. The real test will be on the ground in January, when the books arrive and teachers and labs are expected to be ready for the first ICT class.
