At 2pm on a school day, we walked into a large room filled with uniformed children. Indolent eyes greeted us as we explained that we were conducting a workshop on hands-on education. The crown jewel of our repertoire was a box of paper airplanes. Although their curiosity was piqued by the paper models, the 13-year-olds portioned their enthusiasm rather parsimoniously. We ended the afternoon unsure whether there was any value in hands-on learning. It was 1999 and with the advent of cable TV, Hollywood films, and imported toys, perhaps these private city-school kids needed more to rouse their excitement.
Cut to a few weeks later, when the same box of airplanes crossed the threshold of a government school outside Bengaluru. A palpable impatience to explore the box seemed to reverberate around us. When they were finally allowed access to the planes, it was as though a tsunami of fervour had been unleashed. By the end of the session, not a single plane was unclaimed.
Our content remained exactly the same; the children were of the same age group. The only difference was the backgrounds of the children themselves.
Twenty-five years on, the divide between those who can access learning and those who cannot has never felt more acute. In a world increasingly shaped by digital acceleration and AI, the privileged and the well-off continue to take education for granted, while the underserved remain hungry for learning.
The workshops using paper planes were among the first of the Agastya International Foundation as they field tested their early hands-on techniques. Now in its third decade, the foundation stands as a glowing testament to how simple, human-centred innovation can unlock the potential of the poorest and most disadvantaged children—and prepare them to compete on the global stage.
In a world increasingly defined by knowledge and technology, education remains one of the most powerful tools for upward mobility. The gap between haves and have-nots is further accentuated by an unequal access to quality learning experiences. The entitlement given to a private school student to ask “why” or to challenge a teacher’s viewpoint is often missing in a government school. Furthermore, the voice that a girl child in the classroom has is similarly dampened in a rural setting.
Yet, even within tight budgets and resource-constrained settings, low-cost innovations in education are proving to be powerful equalisers. At the heart of such innovations lies the idea that impactful learning doesn’t always require expensive infrastructure or high-end technology. Often, what students need most is a spark—something that ignites curiosity, builds confidence, and gives them a sense of agency in their learning journey. Across India and the world, grassroots initiatives are demonstrating how simple, scalable ideas can transform education for the underserved.
Take, for instance, mobile science labs—vans equipped with basic science models and hands-on learning kits—that bring experiential learning to the doorstep of rural schools. Instead of relying on textbook memorisation, students are encouraged to experiment, question, and explore. For a child who has never seen a microscope or built a simple electrical circuit, such experiences can be life-changing. Similarly, using everyday materials to teach complex concepts—what some educators call “junk pedagogy”—has proven effective. A pair of balloons and some straws can be turned into a model of human lungs, while old plastics bottles can be used to demonstrate both buoyancy and pressure. The same child for whom the words in a textbook seem lifeless and uninspiring may find themselves ignited with the drive to know more when they see such science in action.
While many rural or low-income schools lack consistent internet access, innovations like offline digital content—delivered through preloaded tablets or low-cost projectors—have enabled teachers to bring animated lessons and interactive stories into classrooms. These models not only enhance academic outcomes but also instil leadership and empathy. Perhaps most transformative, however, is the psychological shift that these innovations trigger. When students from disadvantaged backgrounds are given the freedom to question, argue, experiment, fail, and try again, it produces a dramatic change in their sense of self. This transformation of identity allows them to think beyond their circumstance and use creative thought as a tool to elevate their own conditions. Confidence replaces hesitation. Aspiration replaces resignation.
As we envision the future, we are compelled to rethink the very fundamentals of education. The poorest of the poor don’t need our pity. They need platforms that believe in their potential, models that offer access, and ideas that dare to empower. And if a plastic bottle or an old microscope can spark the mind of a future inventor, then perhaps the future isn’t as far away as we think.