A teenager's curiosity in a school tinkering lab has grown into a large-scale digital learning initiative for Telangana's government schools. Gundu Anirudh, a 16-year-old Class 12 student from Warangal, launched Mission TEJAS (Telangana Jnana Avishkarana Sankalpam) to help schools effectively use their existing digital infrastructure.
Background and Inspiration
Anirudh first explored STEM concepts, coding, robotics, and IoT while in Class 10 at a Warangal school. Inspired by his father, a government school teacher, he researched access to innovation-based learning in Telangana's government schools.
Identifying the Gap
His findings revealed that while only about 500 government schools had tinkering labs, thousands already had digital infrastructure like Interactive Flat Panels (IFPs), smart boards, and e-learning content under various government schemes. However, many teachers were not fully trained to use this technology effectively.
Developing the Solution
Anirudh approached the School Education department, which supported a pilot project in Warangal district. He brought together nearly 20 engineering student mentors from Kakatiya Institute of Technology and designed a curriculum using the existing infrastructure. The programme introduced students to design thinking, electronics, IoT, basic programming, prototyping tools, and robotics through live interactive sessions in Telugu and English. Teachers were also trained to facilitate sessions and use digital infrastructure more effectively.
Pilot Implementation
The pilot ran across 10 government schools in nine mandals of Warangal district, benefiting over 2,500 students from Classes 6 to 10. The system used Mission TEJAS's own streaming and scheduling framework, avoiding platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, or YouTube Live. It also introduced digitally monitored assessments using image-recognition technology to reduce malpractices.
Vision and Impact
Anirudh described the pilot as a foundational layer, with a larger vision to build a student-centric digital learning ecosystem scalable to every government school in Telangana. Saraiah, MEO Narsampet and headmaster of ZPHS (Boys), Narsampet, noted a noticeable improvement in student engagement compared to other digital learning programmes. A Class 10 student from Warangal said mentors explained concepts in Telugu and encouraged questions without fear, inspiring many to learn more about technology.
