India’s 'Atal' Tinkering Labs reach Sri Lanka as first facility opens in the country

New Delhi: Sri Lanka has opened its first "Atal" Tinkering Lab, bringing a hands-on model of Indian STEM education to a leading Colombo school in a partnership that both countries describe as a step toward a shared innovation ecosystem.

The lab, housed in the Centenary Building at Nalanda College, was inaugurated this week by India’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, alongside Hemas Holdings Group CEO Ashish Chandra and former Sri Lankan cricket captain Mahela Jayawardena, an alumnus of the school. The facility was developed by Atlas Axillia, the education arm of Hemas Holdings, with technical support from India’s Atal Innovation Mission under NITI Aayog and facilitation by the Indian High Commission.

Speaking at the opening, High Commissioner Jha highlighted the scale of the programme in India. “Today there are more than 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs across India, in big cities and small villages. Students have built products like automated irrigation systems and smart canes for the visually impaired. That is the real magic of Atal Tinkering Labs. It teaches a child that a problem is not a wall, it is an invitation. Today that invitation arrives in Sri Lanka.”

Ashish Chandra described the Nalanda lab as distinctive. “It is one of its kind in the world. We have visited multiple tinkering labs in India. This tinkering lab has a class of its own. It will be a model, a reference.”

The lab is designed to give secondary students space to experiment with robotics, artificial intelligence, electronics and design thinking, combining scientific principles with creative problem-solving. Organisers say the aim is to move beyond textbook learning by encouraging students to build practical solutions to everyday challenges.

India’s Atal Tinkering Labs, launched under the Atal Innovation Mission, have become a cornerstone of efforts to cultivate scientific curiosity among schoolchildren.

By replicating the model in Sri Lanka, officials from both sides hope to foster similar skills while creating pathways for future collaboration. The launch is also expected to be followed by the inauguration of a broader India-Sri Lanka innovation forum.