Maharashtra polytechnic colleges have been directed to expand the use of artificial intelligence-based educational tools in teaching, learning, academic management and administrative work, with institutions required to submit implementation reports to divisional offices by January 2027.
The directions were issued by Dr Maruti Gaikwad, secretary of the Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education. They apply to government, aided and unaided polytechnic colleges and institutions across the state, according to a report by Pudhari.
The board has advised technical education institutions to consider using Google Workspace for Education and integrate services such as Gemini for Education and Google AI Pro for Education through institutional email IDs. The stated objective is to increase the use of AI in classroom instruction, student learning, academic administration and routine office work.
For teachers, the tools could be used to prepare teaching material, explain subjects, respond to student queries and support the learning process. Students would be able to use AI-assisted tools to understand subjects, analyse information and improve their individual learning capabilities, according to the directions reported by the publication.
The board has also encouraged institutions to use Microsoft’s education services wherever available. Microsoft 365 Education and Microsoft Copilot have been identified for use in teaching and administrative activities. The reported applications include maintaining academic records, preparing reports, managing information, planning academic work and handling office tasks.
The move places AI tools within both the instructional and administrative functions of polytechnic institutions. While classroom use is expected to support more personalised learning and reduce some time-consuming work for teachers, the board’s directions also focus on improving the speed and accuracy of institutional administration.
Polytechnic colleges are a significant part of Maharashtra’s technical education system, serving students pursuing diploma-level technical training. The instructions indicate that the board wants these institutions to respond to rapid changes in technology by incorporating digital tools into regular academic operations rather than limiting AI use to specialised courses.
The directions, as reported, do not specify a single platform that every institution must adopt. Instead, they refer to Google and Microsoft education services and ask institutions to use the available tools for academic and administrative purposes. The use of institutional email IDs is also part of the proposed process for accessing selected services.
The next formal milestone is the submission of reports by January 2027. These reports are expected to be sent by the technical education institutions to their respective divisional offices, providing the board with an update on how the AI-related directions have been implemented.
