“In nine months, a group of children left alone with a computer
in any language will reach the same standard as an office
secretary in the West.” ~ Dr. Sugata Mitra One fine day on 26
January 1999, the Chief scientist at NIIT and his team plan to
dig a hole in their office wall adjacent to the Delhi Slum Area.
They install a freely accessible computer and observe the rest.
This computer created instant ripples and the inferences were
revolutionary. The slum children not only learn basic computer
skills but teach other children as well. This experiment known
as the Hole in the Wall is the discovery of Professor Sugata
Mitra. He also coined the concept of Minimally Invasive
Education; a pedagogy under which children driven by curiosity
and peer support teach themselves and others. Professor Sugata
Mitra had always been fascinated with the idea of unsupervised
learning and computers and when finally he put it into practice,
it won him another award. On Tuesday, February 26. Dr. Mitra was
given the TED Award 2013