Chennai-based Aditi Prasad, who started the initiative along with her sister Deepti, said, “It is the third year of training for the girls in Tiruchy and we can already see the difference in their attitude. There is a change in their awareness and they are moving closer to becoming adept at solving real world problems.” 

Coding and robotics are not isolated subjects, they could as well offer solution to real world problems, said Aditi, who has been training young girls in the orphanage in Tiruchy for over three years. 

She added, “In another project in Chennai’s Kannagi Nagar, a student of Class 10 who lost someone close to her in an automobile accident, has come with an idea of sensors that can be used on public transport buses— to monitor speed and proximity. That’s the kind of empowerment and knowledge we would like to give them.” 

One among the eight speakers at TEDxChennai 2018 to be held in March, Aditi is the COO and CIO of Robotix Learning Solutions. 

Starting in the field in 2009, the lawyer, who also holds a Masters in Public Policy, has been on a quest to take education out of classroom. Calling coding a first language and as important as reading and writing, she said it is a medium to trigger competitional thinking, creativity, logical thinking and innovation. 

“Coding is means and ends and not an isolated subject. If they are learning about stock exchange through coding, they are learning both subjects. That’s a shift from the rote learning we are familiar with in India. The jobs we are going to have in 15-20 years are all going to be technology driven, be it arts or science. Robotics and coding are courses in national curriculum in many countries across the world. So, why not in India?” Aditi signed off.