The Union Ministry of Education has asked states to modernize the method of collecting school fees. It wants schools to start using digital payment methods
like UPI. This move aims to improve transparency and make payments easier for parents.The Department of School Education and Literacy is leading the initiative. The idea is to make use of India's shift to digital platforms for payments. The Education Ministry believes that all financial transactions, including admission or examination fees, should now be handled digitally. The department has written to all states and union territories and has also reached out to CBSE, NCERT, KVS, NVS and other educational bodies. The schools are being encouraged to adopt UPI and other digital methods for collecting school fees. If implemented, it will save a lot of time. Parents will be able to pay online and will eliminate the need to go to the school in person. In digital, every payment is recorded, so it will bring transparency. The move is also in line with the government’s goal of a Digital India. PTI reports an official saying that this initiative is part of a larger vision. It supports the dream of "Viksit Bharat 2047"—a developed and digitally strong India. The ministry wants a citizen-focused education system that uses digital tools. The ministry hopes that all stakeholders—students, parents, and school staff—benefit from this change. Digital payments are secure, easy, and traceable. It’s a big step toward modernizing school operations. AI to be introduced in school curriculum In other news, the Ministry of Education plans to introduce Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the school curriculum for all students from Class 3. It will start in the 2026–27 academic year. “We need to move fast so that students and teachers are properly aligned with this technology over the next two to three years. The challenge will be to reach out to over one crore teachers across the country and orient them in imparting AI-related education,” School Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar told PTI. The CBSE is developing a framework for integrating AI across all grades. “A pilot project is already underway for teachers to use AI tools to prepare lesson plans. Our objective is to prepare both the learner and the teacher for the digital economy,” Kumar said. Currently, over 18,000 CBSE schools offer AI from Class 6. To read more, click here. (With inputs from PTI)
