Prayogshala on Wheels - PARC

Pilani is a small city located in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan with district headquarters at Jhunjhunu. The place is generally called the education hub and has gained a lot of popularity because of the Birla Institute of Science and Technology (BITS). Over the last few decades, the presence of BITS Pilani in the region has fueled the dreams of rural children, who aspire to get admission to the institute. However, most of these rural children have been studying in public or affordable private schools, where they do not get the necessary guidance to pursue their dream careers. These schools lack infrastructure where they can explore and experiment freely.

BITSAA Alumni Trust under its community development initiative called Pilani Atmanirbhar Resource Center (PARC) devised a unique programme called Prayogshala, where students from the community and nearby villages could come, learn, experiment and present what they learnt. The students had shown exceptional performance. The main purpose of the project was to create curiosity amongst the students and give them the necessary direction. However, the onset of the covid-19 pandemic stopped the programme and it could not take off the way it was planned due to financial constraints.

Not only this, the pandemic has severely affected the learning outcomes of children. A large majority of the students did not have a device to access online classes during the lockdown. After the third wave, children now wish to come back to PARC. Prayogshala in its new version is all set to be relaunched but we need financial support to make this a reality.

BITSAA Alumni trust has decided to set up Prayogshala on wheels along with a science lab (fixed) at the PARC building at Pilani. The mobile science lab will be set up in a van which will be equipped with relevant equipment for conducting science experiments. Based on mutual understanding and approval from the Department of Education, the van will be able to cater to the needs of children studying in public and affordable private schools in rural villages in and around Pilani. The mobile Prayogshala shall have a science teacher and a support staff, who will teach the students and conduct science experiments in the school campus and at common places in the village, where children are generally found in good numbers. The van shall also have books and a LED TV. The students shall be able to borrow books for increasing their knowledge and return them after a week while The LED TV shall be used to conduct classes on important concepts of Science based on the school syllabus. The van shall visit a school once or twice a week based on the requirement. The students shall be encouraged to participate in science exhibitions and other competitive activities throughout the year. Those who show interest in pursuing higher education in the science stream shall be guided and mentored by a group of volunteers and teachers from BITS Pilani. The students studying in class 9 and above shall also be given career counselling sessions. The concept is unique and innovative and shall bridge a huge gap in the education system of public and affordable private schools while bringing science labs and experiments to their doorstep.

• More than 1000 children from 30 public/private schools and underserved communities educated in science, technology, engineering and Mathematics
• More than 500 children shall be given career counselling sessions and guidance
• Around 50 children shall be mentored and guided to pursue a career in science