COIMBATORE — Rithanya Sivaram, a Class 12 student at The Indian Public School, has announced the launch of Vibrance Hub, a platform designed to transform project-based learning. This innovative initiative integrates peer collaboration and wellbeing support, addressing a critical need as India gears up for an AI-dominated future.
Vibrance Hub aims to prepare students for an evolving landscape where creativity and sustainable innovation surpass traditional rote learning. Rithanya Sivaram stated, “In the age of AI, information is commoditized. What matters now is what you can make, how you think, and whether you can sustain creative work over time.”
Sivaram highlighted the role of Atal Tinkering Labs, which provide students with valuable tools and resources to innovate on a national scale. She emphasized, “Vibrance Hub gives them the scaffolding, community, and wellbeing practices to turn interest into sustained making.”
The platform operates on MIT’s Lifelong Kindergarten framework—comprising Passion, Projects, Peers, and Play. This framework underscores that maker education transcends mere physical creation; it includes developing computational thinking, resilience through iteration, and collaboration skills, which AI cannot replicate.
Vibrance Hub’s initiatives also echo India’s educational heritage. Historical educational practices in India, before the colonial shift to rote learning introduced by Macaulay’s Minute on Education in February 1835, promoted active learning through hands-on experiences. In the traditional gurukul system, students learned by engaging with materials and solving real-world problems, encouraging profound understanding over passive consumption of knowledge.
The National Education Policy 2020 further recognizes the importance of fostering creativity and innovation in education. It calls for a revival of maker-centric approaches, asserting that India’s future success will rely on creators and innovators rather than mere information repeaters.
The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), launched by NITI Aayog in 2016, represents India’s most significant attempt to actualize this maker-centric philosophy. AIM seeks to align with NEP 2020’s objectives by establishing infrastructure that supports hands-on learning and creativity across the nation.
As Coimbatore welcomes Vibrance Hub, the initiative stands at the forefront of a necessary educational evolution, catering to the demands of a future influenced by AI. Rithanya Sivaram’s clear vision of weaving together project-based learning with the principles of wellbeing illustrates an innovative path forward for students, empowering them to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
