IIT Madras Pravartak & Asha for Education Empower Rural Students to Showcase Talents

IIT Madras Pravartak and Asha for Education, Chennai, have partnered to provide a platform for rural government school students to showcase their talents.

IIT Madras Pravartak & Asha for Education

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation and Asha for Education, Chennai, are offering rural government school students a platform to showcase their talents through the ‘RTC Impressions’ event. The event highlights the students' confidence, creativity, and problem-solving abilities, featuring well-researched projects and engaging presentations. These students are part of the Rural Technology Centres (RTCs), an initiative by IIT Madras in collaboration with Asha for Education, aimed at providing tech education to high school students in remote and rural areas.

Rural Technology Centres (RTCs) Impressions

The ‘RTC Impressions’ event was hosted at the IIT Madras Research Park, with Chief Guest Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras and the driving force behind the Rural Technology Centres, and Special Guest Ms. Doyeon Kim, Head of International Partnerships at Code.org, an international non-profit organization, in attendance.

The event featured competitions across several categories, with 12 judges from industry and academia evaluating the students’ performances in:

• Basic Digital Literacy
• Basics of Programming
• Web Development
• Physical Programming
• Animation using JavaScript
• Media Editing

Addressing the Prize Distribution Ceremony, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, said, “Our expectation from the RTCs was to provide a platform for students to have opportunity for innovation and out-of-box thinking. There are many social problems, requirements in agriculture, advances in language, which can be overcome by trying out new ideas and we wanted to facilitate this for rural children through the RTCs.”

Having experienced the competition and spending the whole day watching the event, Doyeon Kim, Head (Global Partnerships), Code.org, said, “I was truly inspired by the creativity, problem-solving, and presentation skills of all students. Their diverse projects, covering topics from Indian culture to community applications, highlighted them as creators of technology, not just consumers. The quality and innovation in their work were remarkable.”

Rural Technology Centres

Project-based learning at the Rural Technology Centres goes beyond technology; it focuses on cultivating vital life skills. The RTC Impressions event showcased how hands-on learning helps students build confidence, enhance communication abilities, and ignite a passion for innovation. While two-thirds of the course involves guided instruction, the remaining one-third is dedicated to project work, allowing students to create their own presentations or software programs.

RTCs are located in underserved, remote rural areas, and are paired with nearby Government High or Higher Secondary Schools. Teachers from the RTCs provide basic digital literacy and programming instruction to students in classes VI to IX. These students are also encouraged to pursue advanced courses at the RTCs, with children from neighbouring schools, including private institutions, able to take these advanced courses free of charge. Each RTC caters to approximately 80 students per semester.

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