New Model for Learning

Prayoga Institute of Education Research was one of the proud awardees of Nexus of Good Annual Awards, 2025. It has emerged as a beacon of innovation. In a world where education and innovation are the pillars of society’s development, Prayoga stands as a unique private institution with a mission to serve a public cause. Recognised by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Government of India, Prayoga’s work reimagines how India can teach, learn, and inspire.

At its core, Prayoga focuses on creating scalable, adaptable, and open-source solutions that enrich learning experiences, foster scientific inquiry, and transform teachers into reflective, innovative teacher-researchers. Its work combines rigorous research with practical interventions, ensuring that educational innovations reach the students and teachers who need them most.

Kriya: Learning Science by Doing Science

Among Prayoga’s many initiatives, Kriya stands out as a transformative experiment in experiential learning. The program has already reached more than 11,500 students across 100+ schools in Karnataka, rekindling the joy of discovery among children.

Through carefully designed experiments and contextual learning activities, Kriya helps children connect what they learn in textbooks to what they observe in life. The program’s success extends to rural, economically weaker sections (EWS) and private schools, creating a lasting impact on the education ecosystem.

The impact has been profound: Students who once approached science with hesitation now explore it with excitement, while teachers gain confidence in facilitating experiential learning of science.

Anveshana: Nurturing Scientists for the Nation

If Kriya sparks curiosity, Anveshana nurtures it into inquiry and research. This initiative encourages high school students to take on independent research projects — introducing them to the process of questioning, hypothesising, experimenting, and analysing.

Anveshana is remarkable not just for what it teaches, but for whom it reaches. Many of its participants, being first-generation learners, often encounter scientific and laboratory instruments for the first time. Guided by Prayoga’s mentors and researchers, these students have produced work of exceptional quality.

The program’s transformative impact is evident in the achievements of its 110 young researchers. Students, including those from tribal and rural backgrounds, have authored research articles published in international journals, and have won prestigious awards for innovation and research at national forums. 11 peer-reviewed research articles in international journals is no small feat! The next year, the program will be scaled further, extending its reach to more schools and nurturing the next generation of young scientists across India.

I had the privilege of witnessing the Anveshana Project Showcase for the 2024 batch. Watching students — from tribal and rural backgrounds — confidently explain their research projects was deeply moving. I am proud to share that these tribal and rural girl students are now published authors – it is possibly the first time that a scientific research article authored by Indian high school students is published in a Scopus-indexed journal by Elsevier.

Looking ahead, there is also the exciting possibility of incubation within Anveshana, where students could explore ways to develop their research projects into larger solutions or prototypes. The 37 research projects executed at Prayoga have far-reaching implications on human society and scientific progress. Coupled with a potential Centre for Excellence, this approach encourages innovation, experimentation, and the early development of entrepreneurial thinking among students.

Empowering Teachers: Transforming the Transformers

Sustainable reform in education begins and ends with teachers. Prayoga recognises this truth and has built one of the most comprehensive teacher empowerment models in recent years.

Over a five-year engagement program, teachers are trained, mentored, and continuously supported to evolve into teacher-researchers. The process includes residential workshops, dialogues with educationists and scientists, and ongoing mentorship by the Prayoga team. Teachers plan, execute, and reflect upon their classroom practices — learning to innovate within their own contexts. What sets this program apart is that Prayoga goes a step beyond and assigns mentors to the teachers, who handhold teachers through their transformative journey.

What sets this program apart is the personalised handholding: mentors accompany teachers through every stage of their transformative journey, ensuring that new teaching methods are not only learned but internalised. When teachers grow confident and reflective, the ripple effect on student learning is profound. Prayoga’s model provides a replicable framework for how teacher development can be both sustained and scalable.

Leadership with Vision

At the heart of Prayoga’s success is the vision of Dr HS Nagaraja, a respected educationist whose decades-long work has been devoted to improving the quality and accessibility of education in India. His philosophy is simple: education must empower both the learner and the teacher.

The institution’s Advisory Board comprises eminent figures who provide strategic guidance to Prayoga’s mission. Chaired by Dr MN Venkatachaliah (Padma Vibhushan), former Chief Justice of India, Prayoga remains at the forefront of educational innovation, seamlessly integrating research, pedagogy, and social impact.

Infrastructure and Expertise

Prayoga’s work is anchored in a state-of-the-art facility spanning 1.5 acres, with a 30,000 sq. ft. working area dedicated to thematic science and education research. The campus hosts a team of Education Researchers, Scientific Researchers, Subject Experts in Mathematics and Science, Field Academic Staff, Program Management Professionals, and Data Science and Pedagogy specialists. This combination of advanced infrastructure and expert personnel creates an enabling environment for research, innovation, and meaningful social impact.

The Way Forward

India’s education system stands at a crossroads. On one side lie challenges of quality and equity; on the other, immense opportunities born of innovation and intent. Institutions like Prayoga show us what is possible when research and practice meet purpose.

Its efforts in transforming schools, empowering students, fostering scientific inquiry, and nurturing teachers are reshaping the future of education in India. By embracing experiential learning, research-based pedagogy, open-source solutions, and incubation opportunities, Prayoga exemplifies the transformative potential of education research and social impact. Let us collectively support Prayoga in its endeavour to enrich the lives of students, teachers, and communities across the nation and beyond.

Views expressed are personal. The writer is an author and a former civil servant