10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs in Indian schools: What they are, and their purpose

Atal Tinkering Lab at Krishi Vigyan Kedra in Baramati, Maharashtra. (Photo via Vice-President's Secretariat via Wikimedia Commons)

Atal Tinkering Labs is a sub-mission of the government of India's Atal Innovation Mission (AIM). These labs are designed to facilitate activity-based learning in designated institutions nationwide, to "Cultivate one Million children in India as Neoteric Innovators". The objective of Atal Tinkering Laboratories is to develop young people's imagination, creativity, and curiosity, as well as abilities like physical computing, computational thinking, adaptive learning, and design mentality.

AIM provides financial assistance to Atal Tinkering Labs. Each school with a tinkering lab receives Rs 20 lakh - a one-time grant of Rs 10 lakh for establishing and operationalizing the lab as well as expenses of Rs 10 lakh for a maximum of five years.

Atal Tinkering Labs: Purpose

The key purpose is to help student understand STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) principles. To this end, the labs have educational kits and equipment on electronics, science, robotics, sensors, 3D printers, computers, and open-source microcontroller boards. They can also support additional facilities such as video conferencing and meeting rooms, can be added to the labs.

Another goal of the labs is to encourage student participation in national and regional competitions, problem-solving workshops, exhibitions, product design and production, talks, etc.

Additional objectives of the program encompass fostering a design mindset, adaptive learning, computational thinking, physical computing, and more. Furthermore, these tinkering labs are founded on the premise that incentivizing and awarding prizes is an excellent way to inspire school-aged children to engage in an aggressive wave of innovation and entrepreneurship.

The hope is to also level the playing field for children who do not have access to world-class equipment and texts that their counterparts in private schools across India often take for granted.

Dr Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, recently remarked that Atal Tinkering Labs have transformed students' educational experience. According to School Education Commissioner S.S. Suresh Kumar, ATLs in schools can inspire and instill confidence in students, encouraging them to participate in national and international competitions. Moreover, it promotes entrepreneurship and innovation by providing opportunities for more than three million students in grades VI to XII to develop a mindset adept at problem-solving, experimenting, and innovation.

What is the Atal Innovation Mission?

The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is the Indian government's primary initiative to foster innovation and entrepreneurship nationwide. AIM, which falls under the purview of NITI Aayog, is designed to serve as a comprehensive innovation organization. Its primary objective is harmonizing innovation policies across Central, state, and local ministries, by providing incentives to foster an environment conducive to innovation and entrepreneurship at different levels, including secondary schools, higher education and research institutions, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs/MSMEs), corporate entities, and government ministries.

The AIM would provide financial assistance to ATLs. Each school with an ATL will receive Rs.20 Lakh (a one-time Rs.10 Lakh for establishment and operational expenses of Rs.10 Lakh for a maximum of 5 years).

What is its primary objective?

The primary goal was to create an institutional structure encouraging innovation and an entrepreneurial mindset. AIM promotes innovation at the classroom-level through Atal Tinkering Labs, where students can engage in design thinking and widen their intellectual horizons while solving everyday problems and displaying their products on recognized platforms.

Additionally, the labs offer mentorship through Mentor of Change (MoC), a citizen-led national program spearheaded by AIM. Under MoC, skilled experts provide pro-bono mentoring to young ATL innovators with a strong sense of country-building.

AIM's Atal Incubation Centres (AICs) are creating world-class ecosystems for start-ups to grow, including the required support such as mentoring and investor networks. AIM recognized the need to transform an invention into a national movement in which citizens felt accountable for having an impact and contributed to it. Furthermore, ATL is the flagship program to cultivate an innovative mentality among high school students across India. It is a significant government program overseen by the NITI Aayog.

In response to the increasing economic demands and the need for inventive progress, the government of India has initiated a mission to establish environments that foster the development of futuristic talents in children, such as complex problem-solving, critical thinking, adaptive learning, and computing skills. Furthermore, by granting students access to a diverse range of ATL resources, they can develop practical solutions to address the challenges faced by the community.