Patna: The Bihar government has launched an initiative with Google for Education to strengthen artificial intelligence (AI) skills and digital teaching practices across the state’s government technical institutions. The programme will provide free AI training and access to Google Workspace facilities for teachers and faculty members.
The initiative follows an agreement between the Department of Science, Technology and Technical Education, Government of Bihar, and Google for Education. A training programme titled “Transforming Higher Education in Bihar with Generative AI – Google” was held at the Planetarium Auditorium in Patna on October 15.
Principals and master trainers from all 38 government engineering colleges and 46 government polytechnic institutes participated in the programme, creating a common platform for introducing AI-enabled teaching practices across the state’s technical education system.
AI Training to Cover 84 Government Technical Institutions
The initiative aims to familiarise faculty members with generative AI tools and digital platforms that can support classroom teaching, academic collaboration and the preparation of learning materials.
The programme is intended to build the capacity of teachers and master trainers, who can share their knowledge with colleagues at their respective institutions.
Bihar Officials Stress Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence
The programme began with a welcome address by Manoranjan Kumar, IAS, Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Technical Education. He highlighted the need for digital transformation in higher and technical education and outlined the objectives of the training initiative.
Himanshu Sharma (IAS: 2011: Bihar), Secretary of the department, said AI could help bring changes to the education system but emphasised that adopting new technology should not be the sole objective.
He said AI should be used to improve teaching quality, strengthen students’ learning abilities and make academic work more effective.
Sharma also stressed the importance of ethical and responsible AI use, highlighting the need to protect data privacy and maintain human judgement, academic values and accountability.
He noted that the programme’s wider impact would depend on how effectively participating master trainers shared their newly acquired knowledge and skills with faculty members at their institutions.
Google Sessions Cover Gemini and Digital Teaching Tools
Representatives from Google for Education conducted technical sessions introducing participants to digital tools and AI-enabled approaches for academic work.
The sessions covered several areas, including:
- Google Education Ecosystem: An introduction to Google’s education-focused tools and services.
- Google Workspace: Using digital tools for collaboration and institutional work.
- Gemini: Exploring generative AI applications in education.
- Creative Pedagogy and Media: Applying creative approaches and digital media to teaching.
- AI-based academic activities: Using modern tools to support teaching materials and classroom-related tasks.
The sessions included practical guidance on using digital technologies for teaching, preparing educational content and improving collaboration.
Feedback was also collected from participants to help shape future training programmes according to teachers’ needs and experiences.
Master Trainers to Help Extend Training Across Bihar
The participation of representatives from all 84 government engineering and polytechnic institutions is intended to support the wider dissemination of AI-related skills across the state’s technical education network.
Under the approach outlined at the programme, master trainers will play a key role in sharing the training with other faculty members at their respective institutions.
The initiative focuses on improving teachers’ familiarity with AI and digital tools while encouraging their responsible use in academic settings.
The programme concluded with a vote of thanks by Manjeet Kumar, Joint Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Technical Education.
Google Partnership Supports Bihar’s Digital Education Push
The collaboration forms part of Bihar’s efforts to strengthen digital capabilities in higher and technical education. By combining teacher training with access to digital tools, the initiative seeks to expand the use of AI-enabled methods across government technical institutions.
The programme’s implementation will depend in part on how participating faculty members apply the training in their institutions and share their knowledge with other teachers.
Through the partnership with Google for Education, the department aims to strengthen educators’ digital skills and encourage the use of AI in teaching, academic collaboration and institutional activities.
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