The Delhi government plans to introduce the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and game-based techniques for continuous assessment of students under its new state school education board, officials said after concluding their first general board meeting on Tuesday. 

The Delhi Board of School Education (DBSE) was set up in early March after the approval of the Delhi cabinet; the board's society was registered in mid-March. The board will start being functional till class 8 in the upcoming academic session. 

According to the Delhi education minister Manish Sisodia, and also the head of the board, the students will be assessed on all the important qualities of a student - their knowledge, attitude and skills. 

“DBSE will employ effective modern technology available today to ensure a personalised learning experience for our students. Artificial Intelligence and game-based assessments will be put to use to create a system where every student is regularly evaluated on the basis of his/her strengths and enters the next phase of their life with a deep understanding of their unique strengths,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.

Shailendra Sharma, the principal advisor to the Directorate of Education, said that the students will be assessed beyond their classroom learning. “Conventionally, board assessments are designed as pen and paper tests only. They test subject knowledge which is to be recalled by students in one sitting exam. However, in this time and age, we also need to assess the application of knowledge, the extent of understanding, and attitudes like empathy, teamwork, collaboration, problem-solving abilities. For this, we plan to use new technology — such as artificial intelligence and game-based tools,” he said.

AI will help teachers assess students realtime, giving them feedback on their educational progress. The game-based assessments will help assess the student's skills and understanding by giving them situations or get them involved in activities. Sharma said that the government will also look at assessment models followed by other countries. “The purpose of setting up the Delhi board is not to replicate the existing models. We are basically looking at how assessment can complement the teaching-learning process in class across all grades, and that is why we will explore the most contemporary models followed across the globe,” he added.

While the government may be excited about the technical progress, other stakeholders' are containing their excitement with skepticism. “Using game-based and AI tools that we have at our command to understand the learning and progress of a student is a great idea. However, it’s also an incredibly complex process where one has to be very careful about ethics and empathy. It should be used without intruding on privacy and without making bad assumptions," said educationalist Meeta Sengupta. 

Aparajita Gautam, president of Delhi parents association, said that the government should create awareness about changes it was planning to bring in the education system among parents. “It is a great idea. But the government needs to inform parents about it by roping in the school management committees. These are things that parents might not understand easily,” she said.