COIMBATORE — Rithanya Sivaram, a Class 12 student at The Indian Public School, has launched Vibrance Hub, a groundbreaking platform aimed at enhancing project-based learning, promoting peer collaboration, and integrating wellbeing support. This initiative addresses a critical gap as India prepares its students for an AI-dominated future where creativity and sustained innovation are essential, moving away from traditional rote knowledge.
“In the age of AI, information is commoditized. What matters now is what you can make, how you think, and whether you can sustain creative work over time,” Sivaram emphasized. “The Atal Tinkering Labs provide students with tools and space to tinker on a national scale. Vibrance Hub offers the scaffolding, community, and wellbeing practices that enable interest to evolve into sustained making.”
Vibrance Hub is built on MIT’s Lifelong Kindergarten framework, which emphasizes Passion, Projects, Peers, and Play. This platform understands that maker education is not solely about constructing physical items; it focuses on honing computational thinking, building resilience through iteration, and fostering collaboration—skills that no AI can replicate.
In many respects, Vibrance Hub represents a return to India’s rich educational heritage. Prior to Macaulay’s Minute on Education in February 1835, which imposed a rote-learning system intended to produce clerks for colonial governance, Indian educational traditions, such as the gurukul system, prioritised experiential learning. Students engaged in hands-on activities, learning metallurgy through forging, astronomy through observation, and medicine through practice.
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 explicitly advocates for the revival of this maker-centric approach. It recognises that India’s future prosperity hinges on nurturing creators and innovators rather than mere information reciters. The NEP aims to foster a generation of learners who can think critically and innovate.
The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), initiated in 2016 by NITI Aayog, represents India’s most ambitious effort to operationalize this maker philosophy across the educational landscape. AIM directly answers NEP 2020’s call for promoting creativity and innovation by establishing practical infrastructures for hands-on learning nationwide.
Vibrance Hub stands to significantly impact students’ educational experiences. By creating an ecosystem that combines peer interaction with personal growth through wellbeing practices, Sivaram aims to equip students with the skills necessary to thrive in an evolving economy dominated by artificial intelligence.
Sivaram’s initiative has already garnered attention from educators and policymakers alike. In her words, “We can no longer afford to educate students in isolation from reality. They need to apply their knowledge dynamically, not just memorize it.” She envisions Vibrance Hub as a community where students can turn their passions into projects, supported by a network that fosters well-rounded growth.
The Vibrance Hub not only allows students to pursue their interests but also instills a sense of responsibility towards collective learning. This collaborative approach is vital for nurturing innovative minds who can contribute effectively to society.
