All 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh will have ‘Dream Labs’ where students from Classes 9 to 12 will receive practical training in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, Internet of Things (IoT) and 3D Printing, officials said on Saturday.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday signed an MoU with Nelco Limited and other industrial groups to establish the advanced labs in 600 government secondary and higher secondary schools across the state.
The project will cover 150 hub schools and 450 spoke schools in three phases. In the first phase, ‘Dream Labs’ will be set up in 72 schools, followed by 144 schools in the second phase and 384 schools in the third phase.
Apart from AI, Robotics, IoT and 3D Printing, students will also receive exposure to advanced manufacturing, battery-operated electric vehicles, electronics, agricultural science, renewable energy, drone technology and design thinking.
The agreement was signed at the Directorate of Secondary Education in Lucknow in the presence of additional chief secretary, basic and secondary education, Parth Sarthi Sen Sharma and director general, school education, Monika Rani.
Parth Sarthi Sen Sharma said the initiative aims to equip students with Industry 4.0-based skills in line with changing industrial requirements.
Monika Rani said the project would provide a new direction to vocational education and stressed effective implementation of the hub-and-spoke model, quality training and result-based monitoring, especially in aspirational districts.
Officials said the project aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) and the Skill India Mission.
Under the five-year partnership model, the industrial consortium led by Nelco Limited will provide advanced machinery, digital platforms, software and maintenance support. Industry experts will also train students and teachers.
Representatives from global companies including Yaskawa, Mastercam, 3D Systems, AjnaLens and Ace Micromatic attended the programme.
