Karnataka Introduces Robotics, Coding & STEAM in Government Schools

Karnataka's state government is rolling out robotics, coding, and STEAM education across government schools — a landmark initiative that aligns with NEP 2020 and CBSE's 2026-27 computational thinking mandates. Yet one critical question remains unanswered: will students with visual impairments be included? ProGame Tactile Plus, a browser-based, accessibility-first coding environment from Next Skills 360, ensures they are. Karnataka's landmark rollout of Robotics, Coding and STEAM across government schools is a turning point for millions of learners. But as labs are set up and curricula are rolled out, one urgent question demands an answer: will students with visual impairments be included from the very first lesson? With ProGame Tactile Plus, a browser-based, accessibility-first coding and skilling environment, the answer is yes.

What Karnataka's Robotics, Coding & STEAM Rollout Means for Government Schools

Karnataka's decision to introduce robotics, coding, and STEAM education across its government school network is a systemic commitment — not a limited pilot. It signals the state's intent to prepare an entire generation of learners for a technology-driven future. This move arrives on a strong national tailwind. The National Education Policy 2020, approved by the Union Cabinet on 29 July 2020, mandates computational thinking and coding education from Class 6 onwards. Building on this, CBSE has mandated 100 hours per year of Computational Thinking and AI for Classes 6–8 from the 2026-27 academic session. Karnataka's rollout directly reflects these national directives, making it one of the most ambitious state-level implementations of the NEP 2020 vision. For school leaders, IT department heads, and the Samagra Shiksha Karnataka team, this creates both opportunity and responsibility — opportunity to future-skill hundreds of thousands of students, and responsibility to ensure that the rollout reaches every learner without exception.

The Inclusion Gap That No One Is Talking About

Large-scale STEAM and coding rollouts carry an urgent blind spot: students with visual impairments. Standard block-programming interfaces, robotics dashboards, and visual coding environments are rarely designed with screen-reader compatibility in mind. For students who are blind or have low vision — in both mainstream government schools and special schools — this means exclusion begins at lesson one. This is not merely a matter of best practice. Samagra Shiksha, the Government of India's integrated school education scheme launched in 2018-19, includes a dedicated inclusive-education component covering all children with disabilities listed under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. Karnataka's rollout therefore carries a legal and policy obligation to include these learners — not simply a moral aspiration. For Karnataka's Samagra Shiksha Inclusion Cell, special school administrators, and mainstream school IT heads, the question is concrete: which coding solution is actually built for a student who cannot see a screen? Without a deliberate answer, thousands of students with visual impairments will be written out of Karnataka's STEAM story before it begins. To understand how [assistive technology supports inclusive coding education](https://www.nextskills360.in/blog/assistive-technology-for-inclusive-education), the gap between policy intent and classroom reality becomes strikingly clear.

ProGame Tactile Plus: Browser-Based Coding Built for Every Learner

[ProGame Tactile Plus](https://www.nextskills360.in/coding-for-visually-impaired) is a browser-based, accessibility-first block programming environment designed for accessible navigation with assistive technology, for students in Classes 5 and above. It is an extension of the ProGame Tactile programme — India's first audio-first skilling super app for students with visual impairments — and it broadens the learning journey well beyond coding alone. In addition to block programming and computational thinking, ProGame Tactile Plus covers AI literacy, social-emotional skills, career guidance, and financial literacy, making it a holistic skilling solution rather than a narrow coding tool. Critically, its browser-based delivery removes the most common procurement barrier in government school contexts: there is no additional hardware to source, no app store installation required, and no specialist device procurement needed. ProGame Tactile Plus works wherever a screen reader is already in use — on existing school devices or smartphones — making it immediately deployable within Karnataka's ongoing rollout infrastructure. Explore the [full ProGame Tactile programme](https://www.nextskills360.in/progame-tactile) to see how accessibility-first design translates into a structured, multi-year skilling journey.

How NS360 Is Already Delivering Inclusive Skilling Across India

Next Skills 360 brings verified, at-scale credibility to Karnataka's inclusion challenge. Since its founding in 2020, Next Skills 360 has impacted 240,000+ students across India, the large majority of them in government and low-income private schools — directly mirroring Karnataka's target population. The company operates across 15 Indian states and has been deployed in 1,200+ schools. On inclusive skilling specifically, Next Skills 360 has impacted 500+ students with visual impairments through its ProGame Tactile programme. An ongoing three-year programme is currently running across four schools for the blind in Pune. Importantly for Karnataka, a one-year ProGame Tactile project has already commenced in the state — meaning NS360 is not proposing a new experiment but extending an active programme. ProGame Tactile teaches in six languages — Telugu, Hindi, English, Marathi, Kannada, and Tamil — ensuring that Karnataka's Kannada-medium government school students are not navigating the programme in an unfamiliar language. These are all figures from Next Skills 360's own records.

What a Karnataka Inclusion Cell or School Should Look for in a Coding Solution

When evaluating coding solutions under Karnataka's STEAM rollout, inclusion cells, school IT heads, and special school administrators should apply a clear checklist: Screen-reader compatibility with no reliance on sight. ProGame Tactile Plus is built for accessible navigation with assistive technology — all interaction is designed for audio-first use. Curriculum alignment with NEP 2020 and Classes 5–12 scope. ProGame Tactile Plus is designed for Classes 5 and above, aligning directly with NEP 2020's computational thinking mandate. No server, lab, or specialist device requirement. Browser-based delivery means ProGame Tactile Plus deploys on existing infrastructure — a critical factor for government schools where device procurement timelines are long. Teacher support and LMS included. The broader ProGame Tactile programme includes a teacher LMS, train-the-trainer workshops, and a real-time analytics dashboard — so educators are supported, not left to figure it out alone. Multi-domain coverage. Coding, AI literacy, social-emotional skills, financial literacy, and career guidance are all covered within a single programme — not siloed add-ons. Read more about [coding solutions designed for students with visual impairments in India](https://www.nextskills360.in/blog/coding-for-visually-impaired-students-india) to see how these criteria translate into classroom practice.

Making Karnataka's STEAM Vision Truly Universal in 2026

Karnataka's Robotics, Coding and STEAM initiative is one of the most significant state-level education interventions in recent years. Its ambition is real. Its scale is meaningful. But its success will ultimately be measured by whether every child — including those with visual impairments — gains genuine access to coding and STEAM skills, not just those for whom standard interfaces happen to work. ProGame Tactile Plus is ready to deploy today: browser-based, screen-reader compatible, aligned with NEP 2020, and already active in Karnataka through Next Skills 360's ongoing inclusive skilling programme. For Karnataka's Samagra Shiksha Inclusion Cell, special schools, and mainstream school IT departments, it offers a policy-aligned, infrastructure-light path to true inclusion. Genuine inclusive STEAM education at scale does not mean separate programmes running in parallel — it means building accessibility into the primary rollout from the start. Karnataka has the policy framework, the infrastructure investment, and now the solution to make that a reality.

Frequently Asked Questions

### What is ProGame Tactile Plus and how is it different from other coding tools? ProGame Tactile Plus is a browser-based, accessibility-first block programming environment from Next Skills 360, designed for students with visual impairments in Classes 5 and above. Unlike standard coding platforms that rely on visual interfaces, it is built for accessible navigation with assistive technology, covering coding, AI, social-emotional skills, career guidance, and financial literacy in a single programme. ### Is ProGame Tactile Plus suitable for Karnataka government schools with limited device infrastructure? Yes. Because ProGame Tactile Plus is browser-based, it requires no additional hardware procurement, no app store installation, and no specialist devices. It works on existing school devices or smartphones where a screen reader is already in use — making it well-suited to government school environments where device and infrastructure availability may be constrained. ### Does Karnataka's STEAM rollout have a legal obligation to include students with visual impairments? Yes. Samagra Shiksha, the Government of India's integrated school education scheme, includes a dedicated inclusive-education component covering all children with disabilities listed under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. Karnataka's STEAM rollout falls within the scope of Samagra Shiksha, meaning inclusion of students with visual impairments is a policy and legal obligation, not an optional enhancement. ### Has Next Skills 360 already worked with schools in Karnataka? Yes. According to Next Skills 360's own records, a one-year ProGame Tactile project has already commenced in Karnataka, in addition to an ongoing three-year programme running across four schools for the blind in Pune. Next Skills 360 has been deployed in 1,200+ schools across 15 Indian states since 2020, with the majority of students reached being in government and low-income private schools. ### What languages does ProGame Tactile support? ProGame Tactile delivers audio lessons in six languages: Telugu, Hindi, English, Marathi, Kannada, and Tamil. Kannada-medium government school students in Karnataka can therefore access the programme in their own language — removing a significant barrier that many other coding platforms do not address.

Is your school or district part of Karnataka's Robotics, Coding & STEAM rollout? Connect with the NS360 team to see how ProGame Tactile Plus can ensure every student — including those with visual impairments — is included from lesson one. Request a demo today.

Is your school or district part of Karnataka's Robotics, Coding & STEAM rollout? Connect with the NS360 team to see how ProGame Tactile Plus can ensure every student — including those with visual impairments — is included from lesson one. Request a demo today.