CBSE Circular 2025: Schools to Organise Innovation Tours to AICTE IDEA Labs and ATAL Incubation Centres for Classes 8 to 12
CBSE New Notice 2025: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued a new circular on May 27, 2025, recommending all affiliated schools to conduct tours of AICTE IDEA Labs and ATAL Incubation Centres (AICs) for students and teachers.
This CBSE move is in line with the vision of the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020), which emphasises providing experiential and practical learning opportunities to students outside the classroom.
The board has said that IDEA Labs are set up by AICTE in engineering institutes across the country. These labs offer advanced technological facilities. They provide students with hands-on experience in innovation and design thinking in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
On the other hand, ATAL Incubation Centres come under the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog. They have been created to promote startups and entrepreneurship.
CBSE has urged all schools to organize educational tours for students and teachers of classes 8 to 12 to these institutions during summer vacations or weekends. During this, students will be able to understand real-life technical processes, methods of innovation and startup culture.
The board has also instructed schools to identify their nearest IDEA Lab and AIC from the list provided by AICTE and AIM and plan a visit or orientation session by establishing contact. Such efforts can also advance project-based learning and teacher training programs.
CBSE has also said that schools should ensure proper arrangements for the safety, monitoring and travel of their students so that the experience is positive and beneficial.
This experiential and practical learning initiative is considered an effective step towards strengthening the innovation ecosystem for India’s school students.
CBSE Official Letter on Facilitating Student and Teacher Exposure through Visits to AICTE IDEA Labs and ATAL Incubation Centres (AICs).
For more information or assistance, schools can email CBSE Deputy Secretary (Skill Education) at satish.ds.se@cbseshiksha.in.
