With augmented reality (AR) being the catch phrase everywhere, the Indian officialdom is also trying to get the Indian youth proficient in it. The government is trying to achieve this by training the teachers in AR.
The Indian policy think-tank Niti Aayog has announced a partnership with Snap Inc, which will train over 12,000 teachers affiliated with the 'Atal Tinkering Labs' on Augmented Reality, enabling the reach of the program to millions of students.
Atal Tinkering Lab (a part of Atal Innovation Mission - AIM), is an Indian government initiative to cultivate innovative mindset amongst high school students across the country. The scheme offers grant-in-aid of up to Rs 20 lakh to selected schools to set up ATL.
Snap Inc also announced its partnership with the Atal Incubation Centers (AICs) to support the Indian start-up ecosystem with AR advertising bootcamps, Ad credits and other opportunities.
Snap to hold nationwide Lensathons
The partnership kickstarted with the launch of a nationwide Lensathon (AR making hackathon), which will run all through March. The hackathon will be focused on increasing participation of girls and young women over the age of 13 interested in AR.
As a part of the Lensathon, Snap will host special workshops to introduce young women to AR and skills that will be necessary to navigate the digital economy of the future.
Workshops are open to participants aged 13 years and upwards and will take place at 16 all-woman and 5 co-ed educational institutes across India.
The workshops will be hosted by Women Lens Creators, with advanced sessions led by members from the Snap Lens network for women across India to build AR experience in themes representing the women community.
Snap Inc is a global camera company and Snap’s camera plays a transformative role in how people experience the world around them. The company developed and maintains technological products and platforms like Snapchat, Spectacles, and Bitmoji.
Mission director Atal Innovation Mission Dr Chintan Vaishnav said: "Augmented Reality is the future - given its varied applications in a rapidly digitizing India. We’re excited to utilize Snap Inc’s expertise in Augmented Reality to create a cadre of GenZ students that are skilled in this futuristic technology."
Uthara Ganesh, Public Policy Head, India at Snap Inc said, "We at Snap are excited to help the Atal Tinkering Labs in its mission to create a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in India, and help India become an Augmented Reality hub.”
