Hands-on education is desperately needed in STEAM, says Vaishali Sharma, whose Young Tinker Academy is engaging young Indians in robotics, engineering and artificial intelligence.
Vaishali Sharma wants to see engineering and craftsmanship in the hands of more young women across India, particularly those from rural backgrounds. A software engineer and educator, Sharma co-founded the non-profit Young Tinker Foundation, which now runs 46 spaces where tens of thousands of students are taught hands-on STEAM skills in local Indian languages.
Sharma was born in the eastern Indian state of Odisha, “in a small town with no big opportunities, especially for girls”, she tells The Brilliant. “I was fascinated with science and technology, which is why I did an engineering degree. But the education system is more theoretical than practical, even in engineering. I wanted to change this experience that students in India are having from a really young age.”
During her engineering degree at Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology in Burla, India, Sharma and fellow student Anil Pradhan began hatching a plan to start an organisation that would change the way STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) is taught.
“We shared the same passion for educating students and bringing changes in the way students learn,” says Sharma. “We started with a tin shed in one of the villages on a remote island with just three students. Until we graduated in 2017, we were just experimenting with different ways of teaching concepts in STEAM. After graduating, we both wanted to pursue our passion and bring change.”
But there was one problem, says Sharma. “Indian parents don’t want you to do a start-up. They want you to have a stable career. So, to keep my parents quiet, I got a job.”
For two years, Sharma juggled her software engineering job. Then, in 2019, she and Pradhan started to shape the Young Tinker Foundation. Sharma quit her job in 2022 to dedicate herself fully to launching the organization.
“Anil and I started working on a curriculum, and we designed teaching aids for educating rural students about robotics, electronics, coding and carpentry. We created our curriculum in the indigenous language,” says Sharma. “Then, in 2021, we brought together our first student team to participate in the NASA Rover Challenge. Our team won World Rank 3 in the high-school division.”
The following year, Sharma and Pradhan focused on reaching out to more students, launching Young Tinker Spaces in several schools and communities. Another student team participated in the NASA Rover Challenge 2023 in April, and won one of the category awards.
Embracing tinker culture
With support from local government and corporate funding, 46 tinker spaces have been established in urban and rural areas throughout Odisha. In March, two Young Tinker Spaces were launched outside Odisha, and it’s hoped that two more will open soon. These spaces are equipped with machines such as 3D printers and laser cutters, as well as robotics equipment with interfaces in local indigenous languages.
The first is an independent space where a local student can pay a fee to enrol in an after-school programme. The second is a space located on the school campus, where students participate in courses during school hours. In this case, the cost is covered by the school.
“In both models, the student has set learning hours and a curriculum to follow,” Sharma explains. “Aside from the defined hours, they are encouraged to use the tinker space during their free time to work on whatever other projects they’re interested in.” In both models, staff and teachers are available to help the students with their learning.
“We believe hands-on education is desperately needed in STEAM,” says Sharma. “Satellite design and robotics, for example. We want students to do the experiments. We want to create makers and innovators, but the first step is embracing what we call ‘tinkering culture’ – what small changes can you make to a product?”
Budding entrepreneurs
There are many challenges in STEAM education that the Young Tinker Foundation aims to address, particularly in rural areas of India. A lack of STEAM exposure and too few female role models, for example, and the fact that parents are often reluctant to encourage girls to pursue a STEAM career.
There’s also the lack of educational content available in local indigenous languages. “Odisha has as many as 62 tribal communities speaking 21 languages of which seven have their own scripts,” says Sharma. “Our team believes that if we can bring change in an environment like this, then it can be done anywhere in the world.”
Through ‘tinkering’, students get a better idea of the kinds of tools that are best suited to certain jobs and an understanding of manufacturing and production processes. “Then, they go on and create something,” says Sharma. “Some will go on to become creators, innovators or entrepreneurs, but all become tinkers, and they take those skills to find solutions in whatever they go on to do.”
The success of these students has been impressive. One student, Rishikesh Amit Nayak, developed an AI-based pest-control solution for crops called Kishan Know, which has been deployed in seven villages across Odisha. He was among the winners of the AI Impact Creators Category at the Intel AI Global Impact Festival 2021, and received a grant of approximately $US25,000. “It was a very proud moment for us,” says Sharma. He has since gone on to launch his own start-up.
Sharma’s vision is for the Young Tinker Spaces to spread throughout India, and eventually overseas. “Our students have created businesses and enterprises to provide jobs and solutions to grassroots problems,” she says. “It gives us credibility and motivation and lets me know it was worth leaving my job for.”
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Story by Kylie Ahern