Tamil Nadu Rural Students Shine in Digital Skills Competition
Rural students in Tamil Nadu are learning to code and develop digital skills through a program run by Asha Chennai, a voluntary organization. The program, which started with two rural training centers (RTCs) in 2022, has grown to include 13 RTCs across the state, reaching nearly 1,200 students. Students from classes 6 to 12 learn digital literacy and can progress to programming, web development, robotics, and AI.
The program culminated in a competition at IIT-Madras Research Park, where students showcased their projects. Among them was Iniyasri, who had previously been selected for the event but this time made it with a project on the universe using Scratch. The 64 selected projects reflected both technical learning and everyday interests.
The judges, including professionals from top companies like Amazon and Accenture, praised the students' engagement and understanding of their projects. Volunteer Rajaraman Krishnan noted that many students have continued attending the RTCs over the years, with one even doing an internship with Asha Chennai.