Amitabh Mukherjee Academician

Dr. Amitabh Mukherjee is one of the co-founders of BRiCS (Build Robots Create Science), an initiative for hands - on education for Indian schools. In recognition to his scientific efforts he was awarded "Hari Om Sharan Prerit Vikram Sarabhai Award" in 1999. According to the citation, the award is being given for his "contributions and achievements in the field of Electronics, Informatics, Telematics, and Automation." He is also in the editorial board of the Journal on Spatial Computation and Cognition. BRiCS has conducted many workshops in major cities including the national capital Delhi. In an exclusive interview with the National Network of Education (NNE), Dr. Mukherjee currently the IIT professor (Kanpur) spoke at length about his future plans.


Tell us something on the benefits that the project will bring to the students community?

It will help them learn the subject, which can only be done from within, by matching your own experience with the realities around you. We are fiercely opposed to rote learning in ANY form, even multiplication tables. So you can view BRiCS as an intervention in schools to move away from Rote learning. In fact another interpretation for BRiCS may be "Burn Rote; Integrate Creative Synthesis".

BRiCS has been involved in setting up labs in schools. What kind of response you get?

The response from kids is overwhelming. The response from teachers is slower, but some teachers have been extremely positive. The response from administrators and principals is: How can we leverage this so that more children can benefit from this? There is a cost issue here. We are working hard in reducing costs so that this can be come possible.

What kind of constraints you often come across while setting up BRiCS labs in educational institutions?

Money. Way of thinking. The fact that there are so few of us in IITK doing it. We have recently opened a chapter in BHU-IT in Varanasi, and are considering proposals from VJTI Mumbai and NID Ahmedabad and MNRIT Allahabad. We have barely touched 2000 children in a little more than a year. There are 70 million to go.

So far you have set up BRiCS labs in metros? Do you have any plans setting up them in towns and villages?

Yes, we have already conducted trial workshops in rural schools around Kanpur, and also in Slum schools in some cities. We also have some funding for a trial lab to be set up in some schools. Also we are trying to tie up with other organizations involved in computerization to see if we can work together when we move to rural schools.

Do you provide online counselling to students interested in BRiCS?

Not much - mostly it is through direct interaction and experience. We believe that direct human contact is important, both for the students, and also for the mentors (who are often college students themselves). Also the lack of access to computers does not permit much online counselling access for most of our schoolchildren.

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(As told to Ashok Patnaik)