Gurugram, Dec. 28 -- The State Council of Education Research and Training (SCERT) has completed phase 1 of its artificial intelligence (AI) programme, training 1,150 teachers-cum-master trainers from government schools across Haryana. The council is also planning to extend the training to district education officers (DEOs) and block education officers (BEOs) across the state in 2026. Officials said this year's theme' AI for education' focused on equipping teachers with a strong foundation in AI. Under the initiative, 50 master trainers taught 5 AI modules to at least 50 teachers in each district. Manoj Kaushik, head of education technology department, said that the next phase will begin in January, 2026 and focus on online courses conducted in hybrid mode. "Around 20,000 teachers will be trained in AI before March next year," Kaushik said, adding that the online courses will be offered in a bilingual format. Officials added that plans are underway to introduce a basic AI awareness course in schools from the next academic session. "The proposal will be submitted to the Centre. Once approved, the programme will be implemented next year," he added. Officials added that for the next phase, teachers need to appear in a mandatory offline session. Mentors will interview and ask them questions related to the five modules....