Microsoft has launched Microsoft Elevate for Educators in India, an ambitious skilling initiative that aims to train two million teachers and reach 200,000 schools and educational institutions by 2030.
Through this programme, Microsoft advances its broader commitment to equip 20 million people in India with artificial intelligence skills while positioning educators at the centre of the country’s AI transformation. Notably, India becomes the first country in Asia to roll out the programme.
As global discussions around AI increasingly shift toward productivity, growth, and responsibility, classrooms now emerge as the next frontier of adoption. In these spaces, educators shape skills, nurture judgment, and teach technology with context and care. This transition carries particular significance in India, which educates more than 200 million students through nearly 10 million teachers, making it the largest education ecosystem in the world.
Microsoft formally announced the initiative at CM Shri School, where it also confirmed plans to scale the programme across all 75 CM Shri schools in the national capital. Subsequently, Microsoft plans to expand the initiative nationwide in close collaboration with central and state education systems.
Commenting on the launch, Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft, said the company wants AI to strengthen education while preserving human judgment and trust. He explained that by deploying AI at population scale across India, Microsoft aims to unlock new opportunities and deliver meaningful outcomes for both teachers and students.
Microsoft designed Elevate for Educators to embed AI literacy, computational thinking, and responsible technology use into everyday teaching and learning. Through this approach, the programme supports India’s ambition to become an AI-first nation while ensuring that adoption remains inclusive, trusted, and human-centered.
Puneet Chandok, President of Microsoft India and South Asia, said skilling forms the foundation of India’s AI journey. He noted that as intelligence becomes widely accessible, confidence and responsibility in using AI will define long-term impact. According to him, the programme invests in teachers as the architects of India’s AI-first future by embedding AI literacy directly into daily classroom experiences.
Microsoft will deliver the initiative in partnership with key national education bodies, including the Central Board of Secondary Education, National Council of Educational Research and Training, All India Council for Technical Education, National Council for Vocational Education and Training, the Directorate General of Training, and multiple state education and skilling departments. Together, these partnerships will expand equitable AI learning opportunities to nearly eight million students across school, vocational, and higher education systems.
Starting this academic year, India will embed AI and computational thinking into school curricula from Grade 3 onwards under the National Education Policy 2020. In response, Elevate for Educators supports this shift through a system-level approach that effectively translates policy intent into classroom practice by working closely with institutions over the long term.
Microsoft positioned Elevate for Educators as part of its decade-long partnership with India’s education ecosystem, which recognises teachers as stewards of trust, judgment, and opportunity. As AI reshapes how knowledge is created and shared, the company reaffirmed that investing in educators remains the most durable way to ensure India’s AI-first future also stays human-first.
