Peru - AI Education Integration (7659/2023)

Overview

Project 7659/2023 is a congressional initiative seeking to declare of national interest the progressive inclusion of programming, robotics and artificial intelligence education throughout the Currículo Nacional de la Educación Básica (initial, primary and secondary). The initiative, reported in parliamentary agendas and legal monitoring publications, aims to establish curricular modules, teacher training programs, infrastructure plans and monitoring obligations so that Peruvian students gain age-appropriate computational thinking, coding basics, robotics literacy and introductory AI concepts. For the primary official reference to the initiative in the congressional agenda see Congress communications — Commission agenda (includes project 7659/2023-CR). For national education policy context and existing Ministry of Education activities in AI and digital tools see MINEDU communications at Minedu: AI and education initiatives.

Definitions

This bill defines key terms for implementation: "programming" as age-appropriate instruction in computational thinking and code literacy (block-based and text-based languages); "robotics" as hands-on study of programmable electromechanical systems, sensors and actuators applied to problem-solving; "artificial intelligence (AI)" as the study of algorithmic systems, including supervised and unsupervised learning concepts, ethical use, and human oversight; "educational AI tool" as software or platform that uses automated decision-making to personalize learning or grade assessments; "student data" as any personal, evaluative or behavioral information collected through education platforms; and "teacher certification" as authorized credentials issued after successful completion of MINEDU-approved training modules. The bill also adopts standard terms from the Currículo Nacional to preserve articulation with existing learning outcomes and standards.

Governance and Institutional Framework

The draft assigns primary responsibility to the Ministry of Education (MINEDU) to design curricular modules and implementation standards, to be coordinated with regional education directorates and the Office of Planning and Budget (ONP/MEF as appropriate). MINEDU must establish an inter-ministerial advisory group including representatives from the Ministry of Transport and Communications (for connectivity and infrastructure), the Ministry of Production and Economy (for industry partnerships), and designated congressional rapporteurs. The bill requires MINEDU to issue technical standards, procurement guidance and teacher training curricula within defined deadlines and to publish periodic progress reports to Congress. It also contemplates establishing pilot areas (urban, rural and intercultural) and an expert committee to advise on ethics, privacy and safety. The congressional agenda that lists this initiative provides the primary registry reference: Congress communications — Commission agenda. Implementation must comply with existing constitutional obligations on education and child protection and align with MINEDU programs such as those reported in Minedu AI initiatives.

Key Focus Areas

The bill concentrates on several policy pillars. Curriculum design: age-stratified modules integrating computational thinking in initial education, introductory programming and robotics in primary grades, and applied AI literacy in secondary education. Teacher training and certification: national-scale continuous professional development (CPD) pathways, including blended delivery and partnership with universities and technology providers. Infrastructure and access: procurement standards for low-cost devices, network connectivity targets for schools, and maintenance/resourcing models that consider rural and intercultural contexts. Safeguards and ethics: requirements for privacy-by-design, data minimization, parental consent mechanisms where appropriate, human-in-the-loop oversight for automated grading tools, and explicit prohibitions on discriminatory AI practices. Assessment and evaluation: national pilot evaluation metrics, evidence-based monitoring, and standardized indicators for skill attainment. Research and partnerships: incentives to collaborate with higher education institutions and the private sector while ensuring open-source and open-education resource options to avoid vendor lock-in. The draft intentionally frames these areas to promote both digital inclusion and pedagogical integrity while mitigating data protection and safety concerns; see contextual reporting at TMC Legal bytes — project summary.

Implementation Framework

Implementation is staged. Phase I (planning, pilot design and teacher training) requires MINEDU to publish a national implementation plan within six months of enactment, specifying pilot locations, budgets and training calendars. Phase II (pilots & evaluation) runs for 12–24 months and focuses on representative cohorts across urban, rural and intercultural schools. Phase III (scale-up) integrates successful pilots and extends module adoption nationwide with yearly rollouts and budget allocations. The bill mandates public procurement standards for hardware and software that include privacy and cybersecurity clauses and requires MINEDU to coordinate with the Ministry of Economy and Finance for budgetary appropriations. The plan emphasizes inclusive access (multilingual materials, accessible formats) and anticipates recurring maintenance and teacher-support funding. MINEDU’s public programmatic activities on digital education form a basis for alignment: Minedu — Hackathon & innovation programs.

Monitoring and Evaluation

The bill requires MINEDU to produce annual progress reports to Congress containing quantitative and qualitative indicators (coverage rates, teacher certification counts, infrastructure deployment, student proficiency metrics, privacy incidents and procurement audits). An independent evaluation after Phase II is mandated to assess learning outcomes, equity impacts and cost-effectiveness. Monitoring instruments include school-level dashboards, randomized or quasi-experimental evaluations in pilot sites, and stakeholder consultations with teacher unions, parent organizations and indigenous authorities. Data reporting obligations emphasize anonymization and aggregated public dashboards to balance transparency with privacy protections.

Penalties, Liability, and Appeals

The draft creates administrative sanctions for non-compliance with curriculum-adoption timelines and procurement rules, ranging from fines to suspension of contracts for vendors that fail to meet privacy or security specifications. It contemplates liability frameworks for harms caused by defective educational AI tools (for example, automated assessments that produce demonstrable adverse consequences), specifying routes for remedies: administrative complaints to MINEDU, mediation, and escalation to judicial remedies where necessary. The bill also requires an appeals process for schools or regional authorities affected by central-level implementation decisions.

Relationship to Other Instruments

The proposed bill is intended to be integrated with existing constitutional and statutory obligations for the national education system (Ley General de Educación and the Currículo Nacional) and must be interpreted in light of data-protection laws and child-protection rules. It references MINEDU programs and digital transformation initiatives and anticipates coordination with the national digital strategy and connectivity programs. The initiative has been listed among several legislative proposals under discussion in education commissions, as recorded in the congressional agenda that references project 7659/2023-CR: Congress communications — Commission agenda.

International Alignment

The bill recommends alignment with international best practices in AI education and digital skills frameworks (e.g., UNESCO guidance on AI in education, OECD recommendations on digital skills) and encourages technical cooperation and funding partnerships. It seeks to ensure curricula meet comparable international competency benchmarks to facilitate student mobility and potential regional cooperation. MINEDU is directed to consider open educational resources and interoperable technical standards that reflect international guidance on AI ethics and education.

Implementation Timeline

Sources and References