Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy, Sanjay Kumar today inaugurated a national-level innovation challenge aimed at motivating young individuals to create functional prototypes of innovative solutions. The Ministry of Education collaborated with the ATL Marathon program, spearheaded by the Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, in partnership with UNICEF and YuWaah.
Dr. Chintan Vaishnav (Mission Director, AIM), Vipin Kumar (Additional Secretary, Ministry of Education), Kevin Frey (CEO, Generation Unlimited), Dhuwarakha Sriram (Chief of YuWaah, Youth Development and Partnerships, UNICEF) and Abhishek Gupta (COO YuWaah, UNICEF) attended the event.
Department of School Education & Literacy has been committed to strengthening education in India through the National Education Policy (NEP) framework, with a focus on practical learning. Initiatives like the School Education Council and various programs have been instrumental in promoting this approach. The collaboration with the ATL Marathon has been a significant step in this direction, with over 32,000 innovations submitted by school students from across India over the last six years.
Speaking on the occasion, Sanjay Kumar expressed that through this program, we aim to support students in working collectively, introducing them to best practices that nurture their innovation skills, and connecting them with role models. We are also committed to supporting the best innovators from the program under School Innovation Councils, by providing a seed fund of 1-lakh rupees for 200 innovators, with ATL Marathon finalists being considered, he added.
This year’s ATL Marathon is themed “India’s 75th Republic Day” and features problem statements in areas such as Space, Agriculture, Inclusivity, Disaster Management, Mobility, Health, Education, and Skill Development. Student teams are encouraged to build projects addressing these challenges.
The top-performing teams will have the opportunity to participate in the Student Innovator Program, which includes internships with leading corporates and incubation centers in India. They will also receive certificates from AIM, NITI Aayog, and various exciting opportunities. The Ministry of Education is excited about the prospects of this collaboration and looks forward to witnessing the remarkable innovations that young students will contribute to the development of India and the world through the ATL Marathon program.
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