Quis autem velum iure reprehe nderit. Lorem ipsum dolor sit nulla or narjusto laoreet onse ctetur adipisci.
Supported by: Wipro
Universe Simplified Foundation (USF), a Mumbai-based nonprofit, is setting up STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) based Innovation hubs within schools and community centers for economically challenged children in semi-rural areas.
Vision Statement: We envision a world where education empowers students and communities to find innovative solutions to real life challenges.
Mission Statement: To make hands-on, inquiry driven STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) education accessible to everyone.
Location
The organization works in villages along Kalyan, Murbad Road, Thane District, Maharashtra
Program updates
The problem we are trying to address: The Indian education system is still based on rote learning and textbooks. USF is addressing the need to make STEM education accessible to all which will not only give children relevant skills but also the ability to apply them to real-life challenges. Such a mandate gains added relevance in light of two crucial factors:
Challenges: Bringing inquiry-driven, STEM education to government schools in India is a big challenge for us, given that such schools are very under-resourced. Traditional innovation hubs have a high setup and annual operating cost and need the schools to have a permanent room. There is also a lack of infrastructure regarding IT in government schools.
Our solution: Our solution for making STEM accessible to all is to be a STEM research and development organization, which relies on three strategies:
Learnings and Challenges from FY 22 – 23: Organization should first be made ready for scale and then scaled up; Culture and people are as important as funds for an organization if not more.
Plan for the next 1 – 3 years
To stabilize the growth phase at USF taking the current number of students from 1,500 to around 2,000 over the next two to three years, while keeping the focus on strengthening the program and building the culture and second line of leadership in the organization. Also, to evolve the curriculum based on the data from internal assessments.