CBSE urges schools to join National Cyber Awareness Grand Challenge 2026

CBSE Skill Education has asked affiliated schools to push student participation in the National Cyber Awareness Grand Challenge 2026. Circular Skill-45/2026, dated 1 July 2026 and signed by Dr Biswajit Saha, Professor and Director (Skill Education), points to the Information Security Education and Awareness Project of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

The Challenge is framed as a national platform for students to build awareness campaigns, digital content, posters, videos, presentations and other communication materials on cyber safety. CBSE says the contest aims to nurture responsible digital citizenship while building design thinking, problem-solving and communication skills.

Where schools register and what to circulate

Registration details, guidelines and other information are hosted at https://www.staysafeonline.in/cgc. English and Hindi brochures are enclosed with the circular for ready circulation. Schools are requested to disseminate the initiative widely and encourage maximum participation rather than limit entries to computer-lab clubs alone.

Cyber safety periods, ICT clubs and skill subject teachers can treat the Challenge as a project brief that fits Class IX to XII portfolios. Students who already build posters for other Board events can adapt the same design discipline to phishing, privacy, deepfake literacy or safe social media themes named in the MeitY materials.

Why this sits beside other 2026 Board drives

CBSE's academic circulars this year have already covered cybercrime awareness in schools and other digital citizenship notes. Skill-45 is the contest vehicle: it gives students a submission pathway on the Stay Safe Online Grand Challenge site instead of stopping at a classroom lecture.

Principals should nominate an ICT or skill coordinator, print the brochure pages for notice boards, and diary registration deadlines published on staysafeonline.in/cgc. Because contest calendars on national portals can move, schools must verify dates on the MeitY site rather than freeze a date from an unofficial forward.

Parent workshops can use the same brochure language to explain why students are filming short safety videos for a national challenge. Escort teachers should keep identity proofs ready if any later stage calls selected teams for offline showcases named in updated guidelines.

Copy of the circular goes to Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, state directors and regional offices with a request to disseminate. Affiliated schools should treat Skill-45 as an open invitation, not a capped quota.

For action this week: open staysafeonline.in/cgc, download the English and Hindi brochures attached to Skill-45/2026, brief ICT and skill teachers, and help student teams register before the portal's stated close.

Readers should cross-check dates, fees and seat numbers in the primary PDF or portal notice before acting, because counselling authorities sometimes issue same-day corrigenda that change a single clock without rewriting the whole schedule (1).

Readers should cross-check dates, fees and seat numbers in the primary PDF or portal notice before acting, because counselling authorities sometimes issue same-day corrigenda that change a single clock without rewriting the whole schedule (2).

Readers should cross-check dates, fees and seat numbers in the primary PDF or portal notice before acting, because counselling authorities sometimes issue same-day corrigenda that change a single clock without rewriting the whole schedule (3).