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OPPO India on Wednesday announced the establishment of an Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) in Kerala in collaboration with NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) as Knowledge Partners.

This programme motivates students to explore, experiment, and undertake projects involving DIY kits in robotics, electronics, and rapid prototyping, the company said.

The lab at St Paul’s CEHSS in Kuriachira, Thrissur, was inaugurated by Rajeev Chandrashekar, Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Electronics and IT. 

The primary objective of this initiative is to create an empowered future-ready workforce and nurture entrepreneurship and technological skills among the youth. 

Till 2022, 10,000 ATLs were established across 35 states and UTs in India via government grants. This collaboration marks the establishment of the first-

ever Atal Tinkering Lab, based on the PPP (public-private Partnership) model, said OPPO India.

“The establishment of the first PPP Atal Tinkering Lab in collaboration with OPPO India is a significant milestone in India's school innovation journey. Through this new modality of partner-established ATLs, we hope to democratise tinkering and make it available to many more students across the country,” said Dr Chintan Vaishnav, MD, Atal Innovation Mission. 

The ATL has been set up to empower school children in classes 6th to 12th to develop innovative solutions. The students can harness cutting-edge technology tools such as 3D printing, the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, miniaturised electronics, space technology, drone technology, and technology-inspired textiles.

“OPPO India is committed to social upliftment by investing in youth and providing holistic learning opportunities. We are delighted to inaugurate our first-ever Atal Tinkering Lab to offer a modern learning ecosystem to nurture future innovators and entrepreneurs,” said Vivek Vasishtha, Vice-President, Public Affairs, OPPO India.

“This collaboration is part of our endeavour to promote ‘out of the box’ thinking and teach community-oriented problem-solving capabilities to young students. We are proud to be able to contribute to the Government of India’s mission of empowering the citizens of tomorrow with future-ready skills,” Vasishtha added. 

The collaboration between the AIM and OPPO — with Learning Links Foundation as the implementation partner — adapts the 'Hub n Spoke' strategy to create an innovative learning environment through practical experiences and regular training sessions. 

“We take immense pride in collaborating with OPPO India and Niti Aayog to establish the Atal Tinkering Labs. We will work together to nurture a generation of individuals who will contribute to the development and advancement of our society,” said Dr Anjlee Prakash, Chairperson, Learning Links Foundation.

Through the ATL, children with exceptional potential will be identified and nurtured through the Student Innovator Programme and the ATL Marathon to provide them with mentorship opportunities from eminent entrepreneurs and prepare them to compete in national/regional contests, fostering lifelong learning.

Recently, OPPO India partnered with CSC Academy to train 10,000 women in semi-urban and rural areas as cyber security ambassadors.