New Delhi: Microsoft has launched Microsoft Elevate for Educators in India, calling it a long-term skilling push aimed at teachers and schools as AI starts showing up inside classrooms. The company says it wants to skill 2 million teachers and reach 2,00,000 schools and educational institutions by 2030, as part of a broader plan to equip 2 crore people in India with AI skills. India is also the first country in Asia to roll out the programme.

This lands at a time when teachers are already dealing with AI, even if nobody officially trained them for it. I have seen students use chat tools to do homework drafts, then get stuck explaining the same answer in their own words. Schools are trying to keep up. Microsoft is pitching Elevate as one way to make that shift less chaotic and more structured.

What Microsoft Elevate for Educators aims to do

Microsoft says the programme will push AI literacy, computational thinking, and responsible tech use into day-to-day teaching and learning. The company is tying it to India’s stated goal of becoming an AI-first nation, with a focus on trust and responsible use.

Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President at Microsoft, said, “As AI becomes part of everyday learning, we want to ensure it strengthens education, preserves human judgment, and earns the trust of educators and learners.”

Where it was announced and how it scales next

The announcement happened at CM Shri School, Pandara Road, New Delhi, and Microsoft says it will be scaled across all 75 CM Shri schools in the Capital. Puneet Chandok, President, Microsoft India and South Asia, said, “Skilling is the cornerstone of India’s AI transformation.”

The three-part framework Microsoft is using

At the centre of the plan is a model built on Credentials, Community, and Capacity, including:

• New educator credentials aligned to national frameworks and the AI Literacy Framework
• A community of 2 million educators for peer learning and collaboration
• Building AI Ambassadors, Educator Academies, AI Productivity Labs, and Centres of Excellence across 25,000 institutions

Partners and who gets covered

Microsoft says it will deliver the programme with partners including CBSE, NCERT, AICTE, NCVET, DGT, and state education and skilling departments. The company says this approach is aimed at expanding equitable AI opportunities for 80 lakh students across school, vocational, and higher education systems.