Design thinking to be introduced for students from classes 7-12

India will be the first country to expand design thinking and innovation courses in schools as the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is set to roll out books from Class 7 onwards.

These courses have already been presented to students of Class 6 in many schools this academic year as part of a skill development curriculum.

The elective course jointly developed by CBSE, the Innovation Cell of the Education Ministry and IIT-Bombay aims to provide students with the tools and exposure that can help them address problems using the design thinking process. Biswajit Saha, Director of CBSE (Skill Education and Training), has said that CBSE will launch the books soon.

“Introducing design thinking at 6th standard is very, very unique. We will be rolling out the books on the topic for Class 7 onwards very soon. They are at the final stages of clearance,” said Dr Abhay Jere, the Chief Innovation Officer of the Innovation Cell, Education Ministry. He has been instrumental in introducing innovation-related initiatives in higher education institutions.

“Through this programme, we will be able to train a large number of youngsters, which will eventually help them move forward towards innovation and entrepreneurship,” added Jere.