When a child in rural India builds their first robot, it isn’t merely about gears, sensors, or wires, it’s about opening a new world of imagination and problem-solving. For decades, rural students have seen technology evolve from afar, often watching opportunities bypass them because of their geography. But robotics is beginning to shift that equation. It offers not just technical know-how, but a mindset of creativity, resilience, and problem-solving that can transform lives.
As India looks to bridge the education divide between urban and rural regions, robotics is emerging as an unexpected but powerful equaliser.
In conversations with three education leaders, Arun Batra, MD of Ebix Smartclass, Gopal Sharma, COO of PhysicsWallah and Siddharth Maheshwari, Co-founder of Newton School of Technology, a compelling picture emerges. They agree on robotics’ transformative role but approach it through different lenses.
Technology in classrooms: From access to application
Batra stresses that introducing robotics into rural classrooms is not just about teaching technology but about empowering children to dream bigger. “A rural Bharat student should have the same access to new tools as a metro city student because potential is ubiquitous, but opportunity isn’t,” he said.
He believes that robotics is about instilling logical thinking and creativity, equipping rural students to compete globally and perhaps solve hyperlocal problems, like automating a family farm’s irrigation system.
Gopal Sharma takes this further by reframing robotics not as coding or engineering training, but as a gateway to algorithmic thinking. “For me, technology in education isn’t about teaching a child HTML or Python. If they learn how to code, the major takeaway is the algorithmic thinking they develop. It’s about shaping the way they think,” he said.
Adding to that he mentioned, “In rural India, mobiles and the internet have already reached deep, so the basic foundation for access is there. The next step is ensuring schools and community centres near them have laptops, computers, and STEM tools that they can readily use,” he said.
Skill development: Nurturing the rural innovator
Siddharth Maheshwari brings in a cultural dimension often overlooked. He believes that rural India has long been a cradle of “jugaad” – the ingenious art of improvisation.
“Our Jugaad Culture, the instinct to turn whatever’s at hand into something useful, has powered livelihoods for generations. Robotics in these regions isn’t an alien concept; it’s simply the next chapter of that same story,” he explained.
Robotics education, Maheshwari suggests, should build upon this instinct, recognising that persistence and need can be as powerful as formal training.
A revolution waiting in villages
Robotics in rural India is not just about producing future engineers; it’s about cultivating problem-solvers who can apply creativity to real-world challenges, be it farming, healthcare or sustainability.
For parents, this means seeing robotics not as a luxury but as a future skill as essential as literacy. For teachers, it’s a call to embrace facilitation and experimentation.