India is one of the youngest countries in the world, with a substantial population in the schools. Concerted efforts and policy interventions are required to translate this demographic potential into dividends. The current school education is heavily focused on the rote learning and rigid examination system which ignores the ever- increasing importance of creative thinking, design thinking, ideation, innovation, patents, problem solving and entrepreneurial mindset. The current school education system lacks the focus on the innovation-oriented activities.

National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) restructures and advocates for synergetic convergence in our education system: From pre-primary to higher education and also reconfigures the education system with new skills, innovation and a research ecosystem. It lays great emphasis on promoting the ideation, out of box thinking, innovation and entrepreneurship (IIE), at the school education level in a sustainable manner. It advocates for synergetically connecting IIE ecosystem at the school education level with that of the higher education ecosystem including hands- on learning and skill development.

Taking forward the aim of NEP 2020, the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell (MIC) envisages the establishment of the School Innovation Council in the schools. This initiative will foster the culture of ideation, innovation, entrepreneurship, creative thinking, design thinking, prototyping, out-of-box thinking, and IP commercialization by facilitating the training (for teachers), field visits, leadership talks, awareness, orientation sessions, boot camps, national-level exhibitions, hackathons, skill modules, new courses for students, linking of school innovation ecosystem with higher educational institutions (HEIs), etc. at schools.

The School Innovation Council initiative will bridge the gap in connecting schools with the Innovation & Entrepreneurial enabler ecosystem of the country. SIC will provide a platform for the schools, academia, industry, HEIs, experts, innovators, entrepreneurs etc. to come together and work in unison to make disruptive progress in I&E ecosystem at school level in the country.