As a tribute to veteran leader and former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the NITI Aayog has launched the ‘Atal Innovation Mission’ along with the government.
This flagship initiative aims at fostering innovation and entrepreneurship among the citizens, especially youth. NITI Aayog is the think tank of our government, which has been responsible for several projects that aim for the reform and development of the nation. With a vision to ‘Cultivate one Million children in India as Neoteric Innovators.Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is establishing Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs) in schools across India. It is indeed a very promising attempt to inculcate creative prowess, adaptive learning and design process along with promoting curiosity and excogitation among students aged 12-18. In a bid to lure these young innovators NITI Aayog has signed a Statement of Intent (SOI) for 2 years with tech-giant Intel, to aid in developing these ATLs in over 500 schools of India.
The significance of STEM education has been immense for Indian students. Especially when the world is surging with roars of innovation and entrepreneurship, our youth needs more than just traditional teaching methods. ATLs are a benchmark in promoting zeal among students and inclining their interests in STEM fields. ATL provides a healthy workspace to nurture their originative talent where they can get a completely hands-on experience with these unconventional methods of learning. These ATLs are similar to smart labs where the curriculum and skills are taught to students in a cognitive atmosphere which helps them in being digitally involved and interested in imbibing knowledge through adaptive methods.
ATL would contain educational and learning ‘do it yourself’ kits and equipment on – science, electronics, robotics, open source micro-controller boards, sensors and 3D printers and computers. Other desirable facilities include meeting rooms and video conferencing facility. AIM will provide INR 10 lakh as one-time establishment and INR 10 lakh for operation, for a span of 5 years to each ATL. In order to garner inventiveness among students, ATL can conduct different activities ranging from regional and national level competitions, exhibitions, workshops on problem solving, designing and fabrication of products and lecture series at periodic intervals.
3D printing can be a great asset to these ATLs where the students can enhance their dexterity and feel their imagination, simply through a 3D printer or 3D pen! Apart from being thoroughly educative and exciting, this technique can prove to be the threshold for reformed education in India, which also happens to be the USP of these ATLs.
3Dexter is a similar venture that aims at revolutionizing the Indian education system through modern teaching methods aided by 3D printing. Their vision is to believe in adaptive learning and that is what makes them so special. Opportunities like ATL funding, when collaborated with an invigorating startup like 3Dexter, pave way for a hoard of novel experiences for student. There can be no better way to unleash their creativity and resourcefulness than to create that dream or vision in actual form. It can provide them with live models and prototypes of their idea, making them easier to be altered and practically tested. These can provide solutions for augmenting their talent and to ignite the creative spark within these young minds.
3Dexter is aligning its objectives with the vision of ATAL innovation mission in order to reap the best out of this initiative. The ‘Tinkering Lab Framework’ consisting of developers and supporters of this initiative constantly aims at the betterment of facilities meted out to the students. Currently, 3Dexter has been providing free workshops to schools in order to spread maximum awareness about 3D printing as a futuristic technology that can revolutionize the Indian education system.
