We Must Teach Our Children to Ask " Why "

 Subject: 

China's All-School AI Curriculum Mandate – India Must Act Now on NEP's Critical

 Thinking Pillar

===================================================

Dear Shri Dharmendra Pradhanji ,

d.pradhan@sansad.nic.in

cc : secretary.moe@gov.in

I write with some urgency about a recent Bloomberg report (June 29, 2026) that China has mandated AI teaching across all school levels as part of Xi's tech-drive strategy. This is not a routine education news item. It is a civilizational choice about the future workforce, and it demands an immediate response from India's Ministry of Education.

The Strategic Context

China is betting that every student from Class 1 onwards must understand how AI works, how to collaborate with AI systems, and how to think critically about AI's societal impact. This is long-term planning for generational competitiveness. While the West debates whether AI should be in schools, China has already decided it must be—ubiquitously.

Meanwhile, India's National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which I have studied carefully, correctly identifies critical thinking as a pillar of 21st-century learning. Yet:

1. The policy statement exists, but implementation lags. NEP 2020 mandates critical thinking, but classroom practice remains overwhelmingly rote-recall, rank-anxiety, and past-year question papers.

2. There is no integrated, always-on, technology-enabled platform mandating the teaching of critical thinking or AI literacy across all schools. Individual schools and states are experimenting, but there is no national coordinated push comparable to China's move.

3. India's 250 million school-going children—especially those in rural schools with limited teacher capacity—have no structured pathway to develop the reasoning habits that will matter in an AI-enabled future.

A Solution Already Exists

I must be direct: www.My-Teacher.in, a platform I conceived and built, already operationalizes what you need. It:

• Generates 294 quintillion unique AI-paper combinations, making rote copying structurally impossible
• Implements Edward de Bono's CoRT Thinking Programme on mobile, teaching students to ask WHY
• Works on basic smartphones with intermittent connectivity, requiring no new infrastructure
• Is 100% free, zero registration, available in 9 Indian languages, and is currently used by schools across India
• Is ready for immediate national pilot across 1,000 schools

I am not proposing a future project. I am proposing that you formally recognize and pilot a platform that is already live, already proven, and already free.

Why This Matters as National Policy

China's mandate sends a signal: nations that do not systematically teach AI literacy and critical reasoning from childhood will be at a civilizational disadvantage within a decade. This is not about technical skills only—it is about cognitive habits, ethical reasoning, and the capacity to question and synthesize in an age of algorithmic influence.

India's NEP identified this correctly. What India lacks is the execution infrastructure to deliver it at scale.

My Specific Request

I respectfully urge you to:

1. Commission NCERT to formally evaluate www.My-Teacher.in under the NEP framework, specifically its alignment with critical thinking and cognitive development mandates

2. Pilot the platform in 1,000 government schools across five states in the 2026–27 academic year, with independent assessment of thinking-skill improvement

3. Recognize My-Teacher.in as a Digital Public Good under India's DPI framework, alongside DIKSHA and SWAYAM, available for national adoption

4. Mandate at least one "Questions Beyond Syllabus" session per week in all Central Government schools and aspiring PM SHRI schools, requiring no additional teacher training

5. Issue a national circular to education boards and state education departments directing them to evaluate and adopt free, AI-powered thinking platforms as part of NEP implementation

The Longer View

In 20 years, the students who grew up in a system that taught them to ask WHY—not just memorize WHAT—will be India's problem-solvers, inventors, and ethical decision-makers. The students who did not will be at a cognitive disadvantage, regardless of how many private coaching centers they attend.

China understood this. India's NEP understood this. What remains is the political will to act.

I remain available to support this implementation at any level—technical briefings, pilot coordination, teacher training design, or independent assessment frameworks.

With profound respect and urgency,

Hemen Parekh

Mumbai / Andheri

hcp@RecruitGuru.com / www.ntaNEET.net / www.HemenParekh.ai 

---

SOURCES: My Blogs on AI in Education, NEP Implementation, and My-Teacher.in

#	Title	Date	About
1	White Paper on Education	2026-05-01	Comprehensive case for My-Teacher.in as India's national thinking platform; calls for formal pilot in 1,000 schools; proposes recognition as DPI alongside DIKSHA and SWAYAM.
2	NITI Education Report - 2026 / A Supplement from 1985	2026-05-01	References 1985 policy document "Challenge of Education"; documents rural-urban education spending gaps and unimplemented financing mechanisms; calls for renewed attention to equity.
3	AI Classrooms: A New Chapter	2026-04-01	Analyzes Maharashtra's Rs 42 crore AI-enabled classroom plan for 80,000 schools; advocates teacher-first posture; cautions about digital divide and privacy governance.
4	Humanities Return in AI	2026-04-01	Argues that as AI excels at STEM tasks, humanities and critical thinking become more valuable; calls for hybrid curricula pairing humanistic inquiry with computational fluency.
5	Two Tiers, Three Languages	2026-04-01	Analyzes CBSE's three-language formula and dual-level math/science structure as NEP-aligned moves; emphasizes teacher training and resource equity challenges.
6	Why Skill-Based Class 11–12 Curriculum is the Right Pivot	2025-09-01	Validates Minister Pradhan's public commitment to skill-based learning for Class 11-12; outlines infrastructure needs: modular curriculum, assessments, teacher enablement, credentials.
7	Vocational Training	2024-08-01	Reviews NEP 2020's bag-less day guidelines and vocational integration; notes Minister Pradhan's anniversary message on transformative education change; advocates for experiential learning.
8	Leveraging AI for Imparting Skills Virtually	2024-12-01	Proposes National Skills University (NSU) using AR/VR for affordable, accessible education; aligns with "Who Wants What Skill" matrix; compares with Dr. Song's immersive platform.
9	AI-Powered Tutor / 24 Dec 2024	2025-02-01	Details roadmap for My-Teacher.in evolution into full AI tutor with real-time analytics, adaptive learning, and individualized student differentiation over six months.
10	Students: Acquire Job Skills / Deepseek Advice	2025-02-01	Outlines system architecture for skills portal aligned with CBSE guidelines for Grade 9-12; includes programmed learning, MCQ quizzes, progress tracking, gamification.
11	How to Leapfrog the Digital Divide in Schools?	2025-02-01	Notes UDISE 2023-24 data: only 32.4% of schools have functional computers; documents disparity between private (60%) and government schools (21.4%); argues all 96 lakh teachers have smartphones.
12	Breaking News	2025-02-01	References Dr Raj Reddy's "two sigma problem": AI tutors can replicate one-on-one tutoring efficacy at scale; positions My-Teacher.in as live AI tutor enabling self-study via mobile.
13	Oath or Law or Artificial Intelligence – AI?	2025-01-01	Proposes unique AI-generated exam papers maintaining equal difficulty; compares with Microsoft MCSE; argues AI ensures fairness while eliminating copying through structural design.
14	SARAL: For Students Without Teacher / Text Book	2024-07-01	Addresses 240M students in 12L schools (mostly rural) with insufficient teachers; describes My-Teacher.in features: 100+ CBSE textbooks, 787 chapters, 15,000+ questions in 9 languages.
15	Hey Leah, Train Them with My-Teacher	2024-11-01	References OpenAI's free teacher training course on AI (Leah Belsky); notes My-Teacher.in's goal aligns with "put AI into hands of every student and teacher"; highlights unique paper generation and 6+ language support.
16	RE: Your Presentation to NCERT	2024-11-01	Outlines My-Teacher.in as SUPER-AGENT for 28 crore students in 15 lakh schools; lists features: 15,000+ Q&A, "Questions Beyond Syllabus," mock tests, surprise exams, skill acquisition.
17	Empower Your School with AI-Powered Learning	2024-12-01	Email to school principals describing My-Teacher.in features; emphasizes free, anonymous access; highlights test creation, customization, automated evaluation, and mobile-friendly design.
18	SELF-EDUCATING IN 26 LANGUAGES	2025-11-01	Describes My-Teacher.in's 8 Indian language support plus 18 world languages; notes suitability for self-study in CBSE syllabus plus universal STEM subjects (physics, chemistry, biology, math, economics).
19	Higher Educational Reforms	2022-03-01	References UGC plan to make colleges autonomous multi-disciplinary institutions by 2035; cites 1986 autonomous university project report prepared by user; suggests model for HEI setup.
20	Congratulations, Shri Jagadesh Kumarji	2023-10-01	Congratulates UGC Chairman on autonomous institution framework; offers 1986 project report on autonomous university in Konkan as model for district-level HEI setup.
21	AI Learns Same Way a Child Does	2025-05-01	Compares 2003 "SG" note with 2025 NYU "Kindergarten Curriculum Learning" research; documents how user anticipated AI learning through phased, child-like, feedback-rich methods 22 years early.
22	QR in Maharashtra Textbooks	2026-03-01	Analyzes Maharashtra's QR code embedding in textbooks for teacher-led video revision; advocates for offline-first design, equity safeguards, and teacher incentives for content creation.
23	Scrapping of No-Detention Policy Will Create 'Positive Pressure'	2025-02-01	Reviews Center's 2024-25 decision to end No-Detention Policy for Class V and VIII; argues for positive pressure balanced with individualized teacher support and specialized guidance systems.
24	Take a Look Re: Equivalence Between State Education Boards	2024-08-01	Reports on NCERT's Parakh equivalence study across state boards; calls for standards in administration, curriculum, assessment, inclusiveness, and infrastructure; notes importance of state autonomy.
25	125 Days Roadmap – Part H	2024-06-01	Proposes COMET (Computerised Online Medical Entrance Test) framework using facial recognition, unique AI papers, and real-time submission; references earlier CECB proposal for government exams.