Agastya International Foundation
Encyclopedia
Agastya International Foundation is a Bangalore
-based education trust that seeks to transform and stimulate the thinking of rural children and teachers. Agastya does this by bringing hands-on science education
to rural Government schools spread across the southern Indian states
of Karnataka
and Andhra Pradesh
, through the use of outreach programs such as the “Science on Wheels” (Mobile Lab Program) and Mega Science fairs. Agastya's stated vision is to build a creative India of ‘tinkerers, solution-seekers and creators’ that are ‘humane, anchored and connected’ by inspiring widespread social development, innovation and leadership through education. It is one of the largest mobile science education programs for disadvantaged children and rural teachers in the world.
in 1999. It is the brainchild of a group of individuals, led by Ramji Raghavan, a former non resident Indian
banker. Ramji came back to India with a vision of providing education to poor children and teachers - education that would be the opposite of conventional techniques that emphasize theoretical, rote-based learning
.
Ramji was interested in starting a rural education center that would offer creative, alternative education
. In conjunction with educationists, scientists and institutional leaders, Ramji felt that the emphasis needed to be on hands-on science to spark curiosity and engage children in creative thinking
and questioning. Gopi Warrier
, Chairman, Ayurveda Holdings, named the foundation after Maharishi Agastya
, famous for spreading sacred knowledge to south India
, authoring Tamil grammar
and creating the Siddha school of medicine.
Agastya networked with eminent scientists, developing a new method of education that would make learning scientific concepts fun, useful and accessible. Investors like Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, Alok Oberoi and Desh Deshpande have helped Agastya by funding its programs and helping craft its strategies.
was set up that housed various interactive models [in physics, chemistry, biology, math and ecology] and that could be used by rural schoolchildren and teachers to explore concepts. The Science Center at Kuppam now houses over 300 low-cost experiments. The Discovery Center has several interactive science exhibits, and is one of the few newly emerging interactive science museums in rural India. Children and teachers from the surrounding villages and other schools in Kuppam and KGF in Karnataka visit the Center on a periodic basis. These children are exposed to a number of basic concepts in physics, biology, chemistry and ecology and are allowed to explore and operate the models on their own.
.
Children are able to relate better to concepts explained through interactive demonstrations rather than through rote learning
. They learn about a range of topics including astral bodies, rotation and revolution, the effect of gravitation, eclipses and how the brain deciphers signals.Agastya's Mobile Labs operate regularly across Karnataka and near its campus in Andhra Pradesh. The Mobile Lab has also visited Maharashtra, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.
The Mobile Labs ("Spokes") work in concert with satellite science centers("hubs"). The "hub-and-spoke model" is scalable and operates in over 20 rural districts.
Watch the Agastya mobile lab in action by clicking here. Night mobile lab visits aimed at village community members, demonstrate the fun of science and encourage parents to value learning and send their children to school.
, seasonal changes, concepts such as pressure and volume relationship and the protein chains that link together to form insulin. A feature of the experiments is that they are carried out with easily available materials such as scraps of paper, pieces of nylon ropes and broken pieces of buttons. These Science fairs in addition to targeting a large audience of children (a mega science fair attracts over 15,000 children in a week) serve as a platform to encourage young instructors to demonstrate programs to their peers. This facilitates greater interaction and understanding of concepts, boosts confidence and improves their communication skills
.
programs aim to propagate creative-thinking and problem-solving
skills. Agastya uses a variety of channels to help teachers, including mobile labs, science center workshops, learning by observation, learning by doing and campus based programs.
Agastya uses non-standard approaches to transform teachers; offering modules that integrate learning and knowledge across subjects, and working with mixed groups of teachers and children to raise interaction and bridge the gap between teacher training and the school classroom. A program to train dropouts (Operation Vijay) was launched in 2008. In addition to this, the new campus-based Center for Creative Teaching (sponsored by the Schlumberger Foundation) is expected to be a model for holistic, creativity-based learning. Experienced resource persons support Agastya staff to train rural teachers.
. The Agastya young instructors were among 24 awardees from 1000 entrants across India and were the largest group of rural children to win the award.
s to work on Science and Environment projects at Agastya’s Creativity Lab in Kuppam. Gigantic human figures landscaped on the slopes of a hillock have a variety of medicinal plants
and herbs. The medicinal benefits of these plants are correlated with various parts of the human body through specific planting patterns. Around the campus, 15,000 medicinal plants have been planted and rainwater harvesting
has been introduced. The campus has regenerated over 300 different species of trees, plants and shrubs and is being transformed from an arid dry area into a lush, semi-deciduous
forest with several medicinal plants. The environmentalist A N Yellappa Reddy has led this project and has initiated a second one, “Bala Vana” or “the forest of the prodigies”. Harish Bhat and his team from the Indian Institute of Science
are documenting the biodiversity improvements effected on the Agastya campus. This includes night eco studies to which children are invited. Campus land that was overgrazed (circa 1999) now produces several varieties of grass – villagers are given free access to cut and use the grass to feed their cattle. Agastya, in August 2007 initiated a Mobile Ecology Lab and community education program sponsored by Agilent Technologies
in Kunigal, Karnataka. About 10 models dealing with water, soil, energy and agriculture were developed. It seeks to not just educate but tackle issues that threaten the local environment and create awareness about the scale and nature of environment degradation. A second Mobile Ecology Lab sponsored by UPS was launched in 2009 to serve communities surrounding the campus.
Center at the Agastya campus links science and ecology to art and introduces children to the concepts of color, texture, shapes and art in nature. In addition to making science creative for rural children, it also seeks to encourage rural children to express themselves through drawing, painting and sculpting.
, Mr. K.V. Raghavan, former Chairman, Engineers India Limited
, Rakesh Jhunjhunwalla, stock market
investor and philanthropist, Alok Oberoi, former Goldman Sachs
partner,Dr VK Aatre, former Scientific Advisor to the Minister of Defence, Dr R. Krishnan, former Director, Gas Turbine
Research Establishment and H.N. Srihari, former General Manager, ICI Group
. This group supports Agastya in its efforts to spark curiosity and transform science education in rural areas.
Several science educators, including Profs. S V Subramanyam and MA Ramaswamy formerly of the Indian Institute of Science, Prof. Parthan, ex-Indian Institute of Technology
–Kharagpur, Mr. Shivkumar, former Chief Designer
of Hindustan Machine Tools
Limited (HMT), Dr Leela, Prof. Balurgi and Prof. Ayachit (BVB College of Engineering) have developed models to explain concepts in physics and biology. Ms Sujatha Ramdorai of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
and the Chennai Mathematical Institute are helping Agastya devise strategies to disseminate math education. Agastya has also collaborated with the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education–HBSCE, which is a premier institution in India for research and development
in science, technology and mathematics education
. For its ecology project, Agastya collaborates with former Karnataka Environment Secretary, AN Yellappa Reddy, and Harish Bhat of the Indian Institute of Science. Agastya works with students and faculty from M.I.T and Cambridge University to propagate high-quality programs. To widely disseminate its hands-on education Agastya works closely with the state governments of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Agastya has received media coverage in India. Overseas, articles on Agastya by its Chairman have appeared in the UN
Chronicle, Inflections and Education, Knowledge and Economy. Agastya’s Chairman has made presentations at the Institute of Physics
, London, representatives of key American educational institutions, Indian Institute of Science, Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO), national and international science conferences, Rotary Clubs and several schools and colleges.
Agastya is funded by such foundations as the R. Jhunjhunwala Foundation, Oberoi Family Foundation, Deshpande Foundation
, Schlumberger Foundation, Global Fund for Children and the TK Foundation, and has received corporate donations from Agilent Technologies, ENAM, i-flex solutions
, Jain Irrigation Systems, Synopsys and Honeywell among others.
has also recommended the Agastya model for India-wide scale-up, and Agastya’s ‘commitment to action’ was recognized by the Clinton Global Initiative
in 2008. Agastya was also invited to present its work at the Centenary Conference of the Indian Institute of Science, at the PanIIT2008 and MIT Media Lab. The Agastya Mobile lab program was featured in the July 27, 2009 issue of India Today Special issue – The Game Changers: Individuals and institutions who have transformed education in India.
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
-based education trust that seeks to transform and stimulate the thinking of rural children and teachers. Agastya does this by bringing hands-on science education
Science education
Science education is the field concerned with sharing science content and process with individuals not traditionally considered part of the scientific community. The target individuals may be children, college students, or adults within the general public. The field of science education comprises...
to rural Government schools spread across the southern Indian states
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
and Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, through the use of outreach programs such as the “Science on Wheels” (Mobile Lab Program) and Mega Science fairs. Agastya's stated vision is to build a creative India of ‘tinkerers, solution-seekers and creators’ that are ‘humane, anchored and connected’ by inspiring widespread social development, innovation and leadership through education. It is one of the largest mobile science education programs for disadvantaged children and rural teachers in the world.
History
Agastya was established as a Public Charitable TrustCharitable trust
A charitable trust is an irrevocable trust established for charitable purposes, and is a more specific term than "charitable organization".-United States:...
in 1999. It is the brainchild of a group of individuals, led by Ramji Raghavan, a former non resident Indian
Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin
A Non-Resident Indian is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country, a person of Indian origin who is born outside India, or a person of Indian origin who resides permanently outside India. Other terms with the same meaning are overseas Indian and expatriate Indian...
banker. Ramji came back to India with a vision of providing education to poor children and teachers - education that would be the opposite of conventional techniques that emphasize theoretical, rote-based learning
Rote learning
Rote learning is a learning technique which focuses on memorization. The major practice involved in rote learning is learning by repetition by which students commit information to memory in a highly structured way. The idea is that one will be able to quickly recall the meaning of the material the...
.
Ramji was interested in starting a rural education center that would offer creative, alternative education
Alternative education
Alternative education, also known as non-traditional education or educational alternative, includes a number of approaches to teaching and learning other than mainstream or traditional education. Educational alternatives are often rooted in various philosophies that are fundamentally different...
. In conjunction with educationists, scientists and institutional leaders, Ramji felt that the emphasis needed to be on hands-on science to spark curiosity and engage children in creative thinking
Creativity
Creativity refers to the phenomenon whereby a person creates something new that has some kind of value. What counts as "new" may be in reference to the individual creator, or to the society or domain within which the novelty occurs...
and questioning. Gopi Warrier
Gopi Warrier
Gopi Warrier is best known as an expert in Indian Ayurvedic medicine. He is also a playwright and poet, with many artistic and business ventures to his name.- Life and career :...
, Chairman, Ayurveda Holdings, named the foundation after Maharishi Agastya
Agastya
Agastya was a Tamil/Vedic Siddhar or sage. Agastya and his clan are also generally credited with uncovering many mantras of the Rig Veda, the earliest and most revered Hindu scripture, in the sense of first having the mantras revealed in his mind by the Supreme Brahman...
, famous for spreading sacred knowledge to south India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
, authoring Tamil grammar
Tamil grammar
Much of Tamil grammar is extensively described in the oldest available grammar book for Tamil, the Tolkāppiyam. Modern Tamil writing is largely based on the 13th century grammar which restated and clarified the rules of the Tolkāppiyam, with some modifications.-Parts of Tamil grammar:Traditional...
and creating the Siddha school of medicine.
Agastya networked with eminent scientists, developing a new method of education that would make learning scientific concepts fun, useful and accessible. Investors like Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, Alok Oberoi and Desh Deshpande have helped Agastya by funding its programs and helping craft its strategies.
Key programs
The Agastya program began to expand in 2000-01 when Agastya acquired 170 acres (68.8 ha) of rocky wasteland in Kuppam, a deprived rural area in Andhra Pradesh. A science centreScience museum
A science museum or a science centre is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in museology have broadened the range of...
was set up that housed various interactive models [in physics, chemistry, biology, math and ecology] and that could be used by rural schoolchildren and teachers to explore concepts. The Science Center at Kuppam now houses over 300 low-cost experiments. The Discovery Center has several interactive science exhibits, and is one of the few newly emerging interactive science museums in rural India. Children and teachers from the surrounding villages and other schools in Kuppam and KGF in Karnataka visit the Center on a periodic basis. These children are exposed to a number of basic concepts in physics, biology, chemistry and ecology and are allowed to explore and operate the models on their own.
Science on Wheels (mobile lab)
Mobile science labs are vehicles manned by a driver and two instructors that carry experiments and travel long distances to remote rural schools to demonstrate models and experiments and involve children and teachers in hands-on science. The Agastya instructors teach scientific concepts through simple experiments in sessions that emphasize interaction and questioning. While most experiments are simple in nature and use material that is commonly available, the mobile lab also has complete working models of the entire solar systemSolar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
.
Children are able to relate better to concepts explained through interactive demonstrations rather than through rote learning
Rote learning
Rote learning is a learning technique which focuses on memorization. The major practice involved in rote learning is learning by repetition by which students commit information to memory in a highly structured way. The idea is that one will be able to quickly recall the meaning of the material the...
. They learn about a range of topics including astral bodies, rotation and revolution, the effect of gravitation, eclipses and how the brain deciphers signals.Agastya's Mobile Labs operate regularly across Karnataka and near its campus in Andhra Pradesh. The Mobile Lab has also visited Maharashtra, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.
The Mobile Labs ("Spokes") work in concert with satellite science centers("hubs"). The "hub-and-spoke model" is scalable and operates in over 20 rural districts.
Watch the Agastya mobile lab in action by clicking here. Night mobile lab visits aimed at village community members, demonstrate the fun of science and encourage parents to value learning and send their children to school.
Science fairs
Science fairs are held to enable Agastya to reach out to large groups of children simultaneously. Using simple models, 12 to 16 year old young instructors demonstrate phenomena such as the solar and lunar eclipseLunar eclipse
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes behind the Earth so that the Earth blocks the Sun's rays from striking the Moon. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, a lunar eclipse can only occur the night of a...
, seasonal changes, concepts such as pressure and volume relationship and the protein chains that link together to form insulin. A feature of the experiments is that they are carried out with easily available materials such as scraps of paper, pieces of nylon ropes and broken pieces of buttons. These Science fairs in addition to targeting a large audience of children (a mega science fair attracts over 15,000 children in a week) serve as a platform to encourage young instructors to demonstrate programs to their peers. This facilitates greater interaction and understanding of concepts, boosts confidence and improves their communication skills
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
.
Teacher development programs
The Foundation's teacher trainingTeacher education
Teacher education refers to the policies and procedures designed to equip prospective teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and skills they require to perform their tasks effectively in the classroom, school and wider community....
programs aim to propagate creative-thinking and problem-solving
Problem solving
Problem solving is a mental process and is part of the larger problem process that includes problem finding and problem shaping. Consideredthe most complex of all intellectual functions, problem solving has been defined as higher-order cognitive process that requires the modulation and control of...
skills. Agastya uses a variety of channels to help teachers, including mobile labs, science center workshops, learning by observation, learning by doing and campus based programs.
Agastya uses non-standard approaches to transform teachers; offering modules that integrate learning and knowledge across subjects, and working with mixed groups of teachers and children to raise interaction and bridge the gap between teacher training and the school classroom. A program to train dropouts (Operation Vijay) was launched in 2008. In addition to this, the new campus-based Center for Creative Teaching (sponsored by the Schlumberger Foundation) is expected to be a model for holistic, creativity-based learning. Experienced resource persons support Agastya staff to train rural teachers.
Young Instructors Program – Children teach children
Apart from teaching and demonstrating through experiments, the Science on Wheels program also identifies and trains students to be young instructors. These students are provided training on science models in addition to building their capacities to present and interact with their peers. They then explain scientific concepts to other children at specially organized science fairs. The audience (children) is able to absorb information better as they can interact with their peer instructors without the fear of being reproached, eliminating barriers that normally exist between an adult and a child. Two Agastya rural young instructors won a Special Award at IRIS 2008, and four won awards at IRIS 2009 an annual science competition sponsored by Intel, the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India and the Confederation of Indian IndustryConfederation of Indian Industry
The Confederation of Indian Industry is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed organisation, seeking to play a proactive role in India’s development process. The organisation works to create and sustain an environment conducive to the growth of industry in India,...
. The Agastya young instructors were among 24 awardees from 1000 entrants across India and were the largest group of rural children to win the award.
Ecology and environment
Hundreds of rural children make time during their summer holidaySummer holiday
Summer holiday may refer to:* Summer vacation, a vacation in the summertime between school yearsIn popular culture:* Summer Holiday , an American musical starring Mickey Rooney...
s to work on Science and Environment projects at Agastya’s Creativity Lab in Kuppam. Gigantic human figures landscaped on the slopes of a hillock have a variety of medicinal plants
Herbalism
Herbalism is a traditional medicinal or folk medicine practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. Herbalism is also known as botanical medicine, medical herbalism, herbal medicine, herbology, herblore, and phytotherapy...
and herbs. The medicinal benefits of these plants are correlated with various parts of the human body through specific planting patterns. Around the campus, 15,000 medicinal plants have been planted and rainwater harvesting
Rainwater harvesting
Rainwater harvesting is the accumulating and storing of rainwater for reuse before it reaches the aquifer. It has been used to provide drinking water, water for livestock, water for irrigation, as well as other typical uses. Rainwater collected from the roofs of houses and local institutions can...
has been introduced. The campus has regenerated over 300 different species of trees, plants and shrubs and is being transformed from an arid dry area into a lush, semi-deciduous
Semi-deciduous
Semi-deciduous is a botanical term which refers to plants that lose part of their foliage, also Semi-deciduous plants can mean, that plants can lose their foliage for a very short period, when old leaves fall off and new foliage growth is starting. This phenomenon occurs in tropical and...
forest with several medicinal plants. The environmentalist A N Yellappa Reddy has led this project and has initiated a second one, “Bala Vana” or “the forest of the prodigies”. Harish Bhat and his team from the Indian Institute of Science
Indian Institute of Science
Indian Institute of Science is a research institution of higher learning located in Bangalore, India. It was established in 1909.-History:After a chance meeting between Jamsetji N...
are documenting the biodiversity improvements effected on the Agastya campus. This includes night eco studies to which children are invited. Campus land that was overgrazed (circa 1999) now produces several varieties of grass – villagers are given free access to cut and use the grass to feed their cattle. Agastya, in August 2007 initiated a Mobile Ecology Lab and community education program sponsored by Agilent Technologies
Agilent Technologies
Agilent Technologies , or Agilent, is a company that designs and manufactures electronic and bio-analytical measurement instruments and equipment for measurement and evaluation...
in Kunigal, Karnataka. About 10 models dealing with water, soil, energy and agriculture were developed. It seeks to not just educate but tackle issues that threaten the local environment and create awareness about the scale and nature of environment degradation. A second Mobile Ecology Lab sponsored by UPS was launched in 2009 to serve communities surrounding the campus.
The Arts program
Agastya has also initiated an “Art on Wheels” program (sponsored by Art Venture, Singapore) to expose children to art and design concepts. The ArtsThe arts
The arts are a vast subdivision of culture, composed of many creative endeavors and disciplines. It is a broader term than "art", which as a description of a field usually means only the visual arts. The arts encompass visual arts, literary arts and the performing arts – music, theatre, dance and...
Center at the Agastya campus links science and ecology to art and introduces children to the concepts of color, texture, shapes and art in nature. In addition to making science creative for rural children, it also seeks to encourage rural children to express themselves through drawing, painting and sculpting.
Partnerships
An independent core group of educationists, scientists and investors leads Agastya’s efforts: This includes Dr P.K. Iyengar, former Chairman, Indian Atomic Energy CommissionAtomic Energy Commission of India
The Atomic Energy Commission is a governing body functioning under the Department of Atomic Energy , Government of India. The DAE is under the direct charge of the Prime Minister.- History :...
, Mr. K.V. Raghavan, former Chairman, Engineers India Limited
Engineers India Limited
Engineers India Limited is a public-sector undertaking of the Government of India under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. It was initially set up in 1965 to provide engineering and related technical services for petroleum refineries and other industrial projects...
, Rakesh Jhunjhunwalla, stock market
Stock market
A stock market or equity market is a public entity for the trading of company stock and derivatives at an agreed price; these are securities listed on a stock exchange as well as those only traded privately.The size of the world stock market was estimated at about $36.6 trillion...
investor and philanthropist, Alok Oberoi, former Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
partner,Dr VK Aatre, former Scientific Advisor to the Minister of Defence, Dr R. Krishnan, former Director, Gas Turbine
Gas turbine
A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....
Research Establishment and H.N. Srihari, former General Manager, ICI Group
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
. This group supports Agastya in its efforts to spark curiosity and transform science education in rural areas.
Several science educators, including Profs. S V Subramanyam and MA Ramaswamy formerly of the Indian Institute of Science, Prof. Parthan, ex-Indian Institute of Technology
Institute of technology
Institute of technology is a designation employed in a wide range of learning institutions awarding different types of degrees and operating often at variable levels of the educational system...
–Kharagpur, Mr. Shivkumar, former Chief Designer
Sergey Korolyov
Sergei Pavlovich Korolev ; died 14 January 1966 in Moscow, Russia) was the lead Soviet rocket engineer and spacecraft designer in the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the 1950s and 1960s...
of Hindustan Machine Tools
Hindustan Machine Tools
Hindustan Machine Tools was incorporated in 1953 by the Government of India as a machine tool manufacturing company.Over the years diversified into watches, tractors, printing machinery, metal forming presses, die casting & plastic processing machinery, CNC systems & bearings...
Limited (HMT), Dr Leela, Prof. Balurgi and Prof. Ayachit (BVB College of Engineering) have developed models to explain concepts in physics and biology. Ms Sujatha Ramdorai of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research is a research institution in India dedicated to basic research in mathematics and the sciences. It is a Deemed University and works under the umbrella of the Department of Atomic Energy of the Government of India. It is located at Navy Nagar, Colaba, Mumbai...
and the Chennai Mathematical Institute are helping Agastya devise strategies to disseminate math education. Agastya has also collaborated with the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education–HBSCE, which is a premier institution in India for research and development
Research and development
The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
in science, technology and mathematics education
Mathematics education
In contemporary education, mathematics education is the practice of teaching and learning mathematics, along with the associated scholarly research....
. For its ecology project, Agastya collaborates with former Karnataka Environment Secretary, AN Yellappa Reddy, and Harish Bhat of the Indian Institute of Science. Agastya works with students and faculty from M.I.T and Cambridge University to propagate high-quality programs. To widely disseminate its hands-on education Agastya works closely with the state governments of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Agastya has received media coverage in India. Overseas, articles on Agastya by its Chairman have appeared in the UN
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Chronicle, Inflections and Education, Knowledge and Economy. Agastya’s Chairman has made presentations at the Institute of Physics
Institute of Physics
The Institute of Physics is a scientific charity devoted to increasing the practice, understanding and application of physics. It has a worldwide membership of around 40,000....
, London, representatives of key American educational institutions, Indian Institute of Science, Indian Space Research Organisation
Indian Space Research Organisation
The Indian Space Research Organisation is an independent Indian governmental agency established in 1969 for the research and development of vehicles and activities for the exploration of space within and outside of Earth’s atmosphere. Headquartered in Bangalore...
(ISRO), national and international science conferences, Rotary Clubs and several schools and colleges.
Agastya is funded by such foundations as the R. Jhunjhunwala Foundation, Oberoi Family Foundation, Deshpande Foundation
Deshpande Foundation
Deshpande Foundation is a non-governmental organization founded in 1996 by Gururaj and Jaishree Deshpande. Foundation has embarked on large scale projects in the United States and India such as :...
, Schlumberger Foundation, Global Fund for Children and the TK Foundation, and has received corporate donations from Agilent Technologies, ENAM, i-flex solutions
I-flex Solutions
Oracle Financial Services Software Limited is an IT solution provider to the banking industry. Oracle Financial Services is majority owned by Oracle Corporation...
, Jain Irrigation Systems, Synopsys and Honeywell among others.
Achievements and recognition
Agastya's programs have reached over 3 million children (of whom 50 percent are girls) and 120,000 teachers, from vulnerable and disadvantaged communities. With 40 mobile labs and 20 science centers Agastya provides annually over 1.5 million exposures. For two years in a row (2009, 2009) rural students from Agastya have won awards at the highly competitive IRIS-Intel National Science Fair Competition. Furthermore the Prime Minister’s National Knowledge CommissionNational Knowledge Commission
On 13 June 2005 , the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, constituted the National Knowledge Commission, as a think-tank charged with considering possible policy that might sharpen India's comparative advantage in the knowledge-intensive service sectors.In particular, the Commission was to...
has also recommended the Agastya model for India-wide scale-up, and Agastya’s ‘commitment to action’ was recognized by the Clinton Global Initiative
Clinton Foundation
The William J. Clinton Foundation is a foundation established by former President of the United States Bill Clinton with the stated mission to "strengthen the capacity of people throughout the world to meet the challenges of global interdependence." The Foundation focuses on four critical areas:...
in 2008. Agastya was also invited to present its work at the Centenary Conference of the Indian Institute of Science, at the PanIIT2008 and MIT Media Lab. The Agastya Mobile lab program was featured in the July 27, 2009 issue of India Today Special issue – The Game Changers: Individuals and institutions who have transformed education in India.
Key people behind Agastya International Foundation
- PK Iyengar, Ex-Chairman, Indian Atomic Energy Commission
- K.V. Raghavan, Ex-Chairman, Engineers India
- Rakesh Jhunjhunwala – investor and philanthropist
- Alok Oberoi – former Goldman Sachs partner
- Mahavir Kumar, former President of the Bangalore Stock ExchangeBangalore Stock ExchangeBangalore Stock Exchange is a public stock exchange based in Bangalore, India. It was founded in 1963 and currently has 595 regional and non-regional companies listed. In September 2005, the BgSE announced plans to go public by divesting at least 51% of its ownership...
- R. Krishnan, former Director, Defence Research
- VK Aatre, former Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister
- KG Narayanan, former head of ADE
- Shivkumar, former Chief Designer of HMT
- SV Subramanyam and Ramaswamy – retired professors from the Indian Institute of Science, Prof. Parthan of Indian Institute of TechnologyIndian Institutes of TechnologyThe Indian Institutes of Technology are a group of autonomous engineering and technology-oriented institutes of higher education. The IITs are governed by the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 which has declared them as “institutions of national importance”, and lays down their powers, duties,...
– Kharagpur - Balurgi, ex-Professor of Physics in LVR College Raichur
See also
- Agastya showcased at MIT
- Rao, Sharada Prahlad Education on Wheels, Deccan HeraldDeccan HeraldThe Deccan Herald is a leading English-language daily newspaper distributed in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is published by the Printers Private Limited and has a number of editions in Bangalore, Hubli, Mysore, Mangalore and Gulbarga....
, December 27, 2007 - Rao Sharada Prahlad, Nudging nature in the right path, Deccan Herald September 5, 2004
- Anantha Krishnan M, Dr Reddy, Agastya will take science to villages The Times of IndiaThe Times of IndiaThe Times of India is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. TOI has the largest circulation among all English-language newspaper in the world, across all formats . It is owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd...
Bangalore Thursday October 23, 2003 - Satyamurthy K, Taking science to rural areas, The Hindu Thursday May 12, 2005
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- Mukherjee Amitabha, Science education in India, The Hindu Thursday, August 16, 2007
- Ramji Raghavan, What the UN Can Do to Promote Non-formal Education
- TNN, The Times of India, Number of out-of-school kids comes down April 16, 2002
- Restoring an Eco System the Natural Way–Agastya International Foundation
- Roshin Varghese, Spreading science in India’s villages, Thaindian News, August 14th, 2008
- Education in India#Initiatives