Anil Pradhan of Baral village in Odisha has opened the ‘International Public School for Rural Innovation’ for the children of the village, where children are taught the lessons of technology and innovation.
About 12 km from Cuttack, there is a group of villages on an island called 42 Mouza. For the kids here, Anil Pradhan of Baral village in Odisha is no less than ‘Rancho’ from the movie 3 Idiots. Because he has also opened a unique school, ‘International Public School for Rural Innovation (now Young Tinker Academy)’ in the village itself, where children are taught the lessons of technology and innovation.
Growing up in the village, Anil had faced difficulties for studies since childhood. His father was in CRPF and was very conscious about his child’s education. Anil used to cycle to Cuttack, about 12 km from his village, every day to study. His journey used to become very difficult many times due to bicycle breakdown. But everyday he used to find a way to overcome these difficulties and used some trick or the other.
The relationship was linked to innovation and jugaad since childhood
After completing his schooling, Anil took admission in civil engineering. While pursuing his degree here, he also participated in the college’s Robotics Society and many other projects. In the midst of all this, he was also part of the student satellite team of the university, which built a satellite to monitor the Hirakud Dam.
On the basis of his degree and talent, he could have done a good job in future, could have even gone abroad. But he decided to do something for the children of the village. Coming back to the village, he decided to set up a Rural Innovation Center here.
With the help of his parents, he started a school with only three children, where children are given practical training away from the book. In this school, he wanted to give students such knowledge that they can solve real life problems through science, technology and innovation.
Gradually, discussions about the unique education in his school started happening everywhere and more and more people started sending their children here. Initially started with only 3 children, this school is today educating more than 250 children. This school is from Pre-Nursery to Class VI.
Won many awards for innovation school
Anil has also received the 2018 ‘National Youth Icon Award’ from the Government of India for all these innovations and his school, International Public School for Rural Innovation. Also, he is also a ‘Mentor for Change’ in the Atal Tinkering Lab started under the Atal Innovation Mission of the Central Government. Even the National Council of Science Museums appointed him as ‘Innovation Mentor’ at the Regional Science Center in Bhubaneswar.
Not only this, patents have also been registered for many innovations made by the children of his school. In future he is going to start another innovation school in Odisha and it will be residential school. The purpose behind this is to give an opportunity to the students coming from other states to study as well. Also, he is setting-up an incubation center.
Edited by Archana Dubey
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