Igniting Minds ! Empowering Lives !

Education quality gap between [Poor-Affluent], [Rural-Urban], [Public-Private] institutions, lack of trained teachers, high Student-Teacher ratio without individual attention, lack of affordable access to vast online knowledge resources and the widening digital divide during Covid-19 pandemic, contribute to poor academic performance, high rate of school drop-out, child-labor, etc., in poor, underdeveloped parts of the world. AK-EDUSAT Nanosatellite, with local WiFi-network-enabled Dynamic Digital Libraries in public schools, colleges, primary healthcare centers, etc. shall mitigate these problems, providing free access to quality educational contents from reputed global Scholars, Educators & Institutions. Prorated one-time CapEx US$ 0.005/student would enable Ka-Band Transponder in AK-EDUSAT (orbiting at 700 km Low Earth Orbit), receive uploaded educational contents from Ground Stations and broadcast them for automatic download via tracking antennas on the ground. Quality Education, adequate Literacy, employable Skills & appropriate Knowledge shall ignite minds & empower over 500+ million poor students worldwide.

(NCERT-AISES Report 2015) 1.09 million rural schools (84% of total 1.3 mill) in India have 5.8 mill full-time & 809,000 part-time teachers. Among 1.3 mill schools, no Library (30%); no Science lab (68%); no Computers (43%); no internet (65%) & no electricity (41%).

Lack of trained teachers in public (rural & urban) schools and inability to give individual student-attention lead to poor academic performance, absenteeism, etc. Annual ASER Reports indicate poor reading, comprehension, math skills at many grades. 130+ million (60%) out of 222 million dropout before Grade 5; 65+ million (30%) drop out before grade 10.

By Dec. 2019, only 4.1 billion in the world had access to the internet. Covid-19 pandemic lock-down of schools & colleges worldwide has exposed the limitations of traditional onsite education. Tele-education, Tele-commuting, Tele-medicine used by the affluent are not affordable for 3+ billion poor worldwide. Many rural institutions cannot offer online education.  Millions of poor students worldwide cannot afford digital devices or the internet service. This learning gap will hurt the poor for many decades. The widening digital divide among poor students is estimated to cause US$ 10 trillion earnings loss long-term worldwide.

Our solution combines ICT-Space-Satellite technologies, tailored to individual institution, addressing various aspects of the inequity in education. 

[i] Smart Classrooms, [ii] WiFi-enabled Dynamic Digital Library (DDL), [iii] Bridging the digital divide with hand-held digital devices for online education for the poor, [iv] WiFi enabled laptops for teachers, to access DDL & apps to monitor individual student performance; (v) Free Tele-education & Tele-tutoring, (vi) Online, Interactive 'Knowledge Connectivity' seminars by reputed global Scholars, Educators & Scientists, (vii) World Knowledge Platforms in many disciplines (viii) STEAM Promotion through Kalam Space Clubs & Kalam Innovation Hubs (ix) launching AK-EDUSAT 3-axis cuboidal Nano-Satellite in LEO (700 km), to receive accredited educational contents prepared by global institutions, uploaded from Ground Stations (4 or more)  & broadcast by the Ka-Band Transponder for automatic download via Ka-Band tracking antennas to the DDL, etc.

Access to the vast digital Knowledge resources and bright minds would equalize the inequity, mitigate lack of teachers, etc. even in remote corners of the world. AK-EDUSAT protects fragile ecosystems in islands, forests, mountains, etc. saving huge amounts from laying landlines, optical cables, cell-towers, etc. One-time, prorated CapEx is US$ 0.005/student, benefiting 500+ million poor students worldwide.

IWSF Motto: 'Empowering Billions'. IWSF hopes to benefit 3+ billion poor worldwide through quality Education, Literacy, Skills, Knowledge, Healthcare, equal opportunity to be able to compete on level grounds & empower them to achieve a better quality of life.

A brief glimpse of some of the projects implemented by collaborating with 2,000+ organizations & institutions along with 80,000+ volunteers in many countries in the past ten years, cumulatively benefiting 4.8 million poor:

[1] 'Igniting Minds' Mission:

• 215 Free Smart Classrooms in public schools & colleges that benefit 120,000+ poor students
• 2,460 Free Public libraries that benefit 2,300,000+ poor students
• 2,950 Kalam Home Libraries that benefit 6,000+ poor students
• 3,350 Portable solar lamps to Tribals & poor children – to study at home after sun-set that benefit 6,200+ poor children
• 125 Free Educational seminars & lectures to schools & colleges by Visiting Scholars (Onsite & Online) enjoyed by 118,000 students & teachers in India, Singapore, USA, Malaysia, Dubai, etc.
• World Medical Knowledge Platform – Free Medical info in many languages
• ‘AK-EDUSAT’ NanoSat being developed by 50+ bright students in India to benefit > 500+ million poor students worldwide
• BIACS Annual Scholarship Fund Endowment – Promotion & Fund Raising
• Youth Leadership Seminars, Talent Competitions, etc.
• Space Science Symposium, STEM Promotion exhibits
• Summer Education Camps for poor students
• Online Interactive Knowledge Connectivity Seminars (via Zoom) to students in many countries

[2] Healthcare, Water & Sanitation Mission:

• Tele-medicine project to benefit 40,000 villagers in Maharashtra
• Cervical Cancer Prevention vaccine for 1,080 poor girls (age 9 to 14) in Maharashtra
• Cardiac surgery for 60 girls with congenital heart defects – in Maharashtra
• Modern LED Lights for Operating Thetre in Govt Hospital serving 1 million patients annually

[3] Green Earth Mission:

• 73 KVA Solar Power systems in 28 Public Schools in Rameswaram, TN – benefits 15,000 / yr
• 250 Small Fishing Boats fitted with High Beam Solar LED lights
• 2 Solar Water Heaters in 2 Public Hospitals in Rameswaram  - benefits 50,000 / yr
• 2 Hot & Cold water dispensers in the Govt. Public Hospital, Bodi,TN – benefit 1 million / yr
• 64 Solar LED Street Lights  in various rural / urban schools refugee camps, vilalges, etc.
• Promote planting trees & organic farming & gardening

[4] Disaster Relief & Recovery Mission:

• Fire Disaster Relief for 102 poor families in Guntur, AP
• Flood Disaster Relief in 4 districts in Tamil Nadu, India
• Covid-19 Relief: Feed healthy lunch to poor children & First Responders in Phoenix, AZ
• Covid-19 Relief: Ventilators & Essential Equipment for Hospitals, Pune, Maharashtra& Govt Hospital in Ramanathapuram, TN, India
• Covid-19 Relief: 95,000+ face masks donation to poor children & families
• Women & children welfare through ‘GreenHouse17’ Women’s shelter, Fayette County, KY

[5] Empower Africa Mission:

Renovated rural schools in Kenya

To ensure equity in the quality of education provided to the poor students, IWSF is implementing several programs listed under the IGNITING MINDS  Mission. Our target population is every poor child and youth who deserve quality education and the right to pursue a productive life. Based on the funds, the program deploys one or more of these programs, in consultation with our local collaborating partners who provide the last-mile-delivery, implement the project and follow up for a long time, giving needed support.

IWSF has provided digital smart devices to 102 youth in orphanages, poor & tribal families to pursue online education. Need to expand this to hundreds more, when funds become available.

IWSF is seeking funds to prepare the Ka Band Transponder prototype for testing and validation by ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization). Once that is approved, the students shall move on to building the Engineering Module, get it tested. After that, they shall prepare the Launch module. AK-EDUSAT Project is 'BY the STUDENTS & FOR the STUDENTS'. 50+ bright students from several educational institutions in India, under the guidance of Space Scientists and Satellite Experts shall design, develop & deploy AK-EDUSAT to benefit 500+ million poor students worldwide. From the time required funding ($ 1.5 mill) is available, the launch is estimated within 28 to 30 months. Dedicatd teams shall then monitor the orbiting AK-EDUSAT for a minimum 3 to 5 years (much longer - based on how well it is used).

Several Rotary Districts, 2,000+ Rotary Clubs & Non-Profits in India, USA, Canada, Singapore and other countries collaborate with IWSF in our projects promoting quality education to millions worldwide. Several educational institutions are willing to provide quality educational contents for free access by poor students in public schools & colleges worldwide when relayed by AK-EDUSAT. Scholars, Scientists and Educators in various disciplines volunteer their time and share their knowledge on the monthly interactive online Knowledge Connectivity educational program, benefiting hundreds of students in many countries. Over 60 teachers and educators volunteer their time to provide free online Tele-Education & Tele-Tutoring to poor students. Rotary Districts 3182 & 3190, and all 250+ Rotary Clubs are promoting 'Kalam Space Clubs' in all the schools & colleges in their area.

AK-EDUSAT shall enable free access to quality educational contents to poor students in every part of the world and enable equity in education, without discrimination. When the poor receive the same quality as affluent students, compete on equal grounds, they will do well in life. Digital divide worsened by Covid-19 pandemic makes it all the more urgent to bridge this huge equity gap and empower the poor millions with education, literacy, skills & knowledge to achieve their dreams & eradicate poverty, illiteracy, ignorance, injustice, inequality and all associated societal problems. CapEx US$ 0.005/beneficiary makes it compelling indeed.

50+ students have been meeting monthly since early 2017 to learn everything about Cubesats from experts - Dr. Marappa Krishnaswamy, Mr. Rajaguru Nathan, etc. Ten educational Institutions in South India take turns to host the monthly meetings for the AK-EDUSAT Team. Now the students are ready to assemble the Payload, Subsystems, Engineering Module & Launch Module, when funds are available. ISRO, an international authority on Satellites preparation & launching, is ready to support the bright students, once the Payload prototype is ready for testing and validation. Unexpectedly, Covid-19 pandemic lock-down has prevented travel, monthly in-person meetings, etc. for 18 months & has delayed the entire project. The Payload Ka-Band Prototype preparation, demonstration to obtain ISRO approval, etc. shall resume when the authorities declare it is safe to travel, meet in person, work together, etc. This project is 100% charity and is not-for-profit. 

IWSF considers education a birthright of every human being and should have equal access without discrimination. Using Info-Space-Satellite Technologies, bringing free & quality education to millions of poor worldwide has not been tried before and is innovative, transformative and unique. 3+ billion in the world do NOT have access to the vast digital knowledge and this AK-EDUSAT shall change that with prorated CapEx less than US$ 0.005/beneficiary.

When I met Professor Bob Twiggs, the co-inventor of Cubesats, he was amazed IWSF would use this small [18x18x18 cm3] device to educate the entire world. Over 2,000 cubesats are in orbit now, rapidly replacing traditional satellites that cost millions of USD, taking years to build & launch. Based on the orbit, structure, payload, etc. Cubesat shelf life varies from 3 to 20 years and accordingly its cost.

AK-EDUSAT will avoid destroying forests, mountains, islands, etc., to lay down optical cables, landlines, cell towers, etc. and maintain them at a high cost. AK-EDUSAT shall save enormous cost while protecting fragile ecosystems worldwide.

A network of 96 Cubesats would cover the entire world 24/7/365 enabling live, interactive, multilateral projects, synchronous learning, interactive sessions from anywhere to anywhere in the world. If needed, AK-EDUSAT shall help in disasters, coordinating relief & recovery efforts, when ground-based communication is disrupted. Bright students in any remote corner of the world learn from brilliant minds in many countries, overcome teacher-shortage, can access 3+ million e-books & take 20,000+ online courses; how exciting !

Igniting Minds Mission of IWSF and the several projects promoting education, literacy, skills & knowledge cumulatively benefit 4.8 million poor in India, Kenya, Mexico & USA. AK-EDUSAT, when in orbit, shall reach millions of poor worldwide. Each public school & college shall install a low cost Ka-band Tracking antenna and a Wi-Fi enabled Server for automatic download from AK-EDUSAT. Local non-profits such as Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs, Jaycees, etc. shall sponsor the Antenna and Server for the public schools & colleges and support them long term for several years. The non-profits shall help local  schools & colleges set up Kalam Space Clubs (KSC) & promote STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture & Math) through these KSC. Conservatively, AK-EDUSAT under the 'Igniting Minds' Mission shall directly and meaningfully affect & benefit over 500+ million poor students and their teachers worldwide, even in islands, forests, mountains & remote corners of the world.

Project:            Benefit now;        in One Yr;      in Five Yrs

Smart Classrooms: 120,000;          180,000            400,000

Bridge Digital Divide:   102;            500;               10,000

Tele-Ed & Tele-Tutoring:  50;          500;              5,000

Dynamic Digital Library:  200;        15,000;          2,000,000

Free Public Libraries:  2,300,000;    3,000,000;     5,000,000

Kalam Home Library:   6,000;          7,500;            20,000

Kalam Space Clubs:     400;              800;              10,000

Knowledge Connectivity: 120,000;    200,000;        2,000,000

AK-EDUSAT:                  None;           None;             50,000,000

Each collaborating partner shall handle delegated parts of this mission.

One Partner shall keep track of the impact of the Smart Classrooms, feedback from teachers & students.

Another shall track the Knowledge Connectivity impact from audience & the scholars to find ways to make it more beneficial.

The next one shall track the number of KSC and STEAM promotion programs, number of students participating, their feedback, etc.

One shall track the progress of AK-EDUSAT project: (i) Payload Prototype development, (ii) its demonstration and approval from ISRO, (iii) securing Ka Band, UHF, VHF Frequencies license, (iv) Engineering Module development, testing & validation, (v) Launch module development, (vi) scheduling launch date with ISRO, etc.

Once in orbit, dedicated Tech Teams shall handle uploading data and another Tech team shall monitor 24/7/365 AK-EDUSAT operations, maintenance, etc.

Each school / college installing Ka-band Receiver antenna shall register with the AK-EDUSAT Tech team to enable automatic download and update their use, technical issues, etc. and report how they use the downloaded contents.

Schools and colleges shall be asked to share the enrollment, graduation, overall performance, impact of the AK-EDUSAT and Igniting Minds Mission with their faculty and students, their feedback, etc.

IWSF expects incremental change over many years to measure graduation rates, school drop-out numbers, gainful employment, etc. among the poor students since the launch of AK-EDUSAT in eradicating poverty, improving education, educating girls, etc. some of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

50 Students, 10 Faculty from 10 independent educational institutions;

Dr. M Vijayaraghavan, Chairman, Project Management Council

Dr. Marapa Krishnaswamy, Project Director

Raja Guru Nathan, Technology Coordinator,

Professor Shashidhar, Public Relations - Global Ambassador,

Dr. Vellaichamy  Ponraj, Project Advisor.

Rtn. Dasappa Mohan & Rtn. Preeti Mohan, Regional Coordinators

Dr. M Vijayaraghavan: Consultant in Gastroenterology (Retired); Founder-President, IWSF; launched 'Igniting Minds' Mission, 'Bridging the Digital Divide', 'Knowledge Connectivity', 'World Medical Knowledge Platform', etc. & AK-EDUSAT Project. Networks & collaborates with 2,000+ non-profits in several countries, in many charitable projects.

Dr. Marappa Krishnaswamy: Space Scientist (Retired); 40+ years experience in ISRO; was in charge of Satellite Programs. Guided Noorul Islam University Students CubeSat project. Volunteers as AK-EDUSAT Project Director

Mr. Raja Guru Nathan: CEO, Aeolus Aero Tech, Space Tech firm in Bangalore, India; volunteers as AK-EDUSAT Technology Director.

Professor H E Shashidhar: Chair, Division of Space Agriculture at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, India. Volunteers as AK-EDUSAT Global Ambassador, handling Public Relations.

Dr. Vellaichamy Ponraj: Scientific Advisor (Former) to His Excellency Dr. Abdul Kalam, (11th President of India); volunteers as AK-EDUSAT Project Advisor.

Rtn. Dasappa Mohan & Rtn. Mrs. Dr. Preeti Mohan:  Rotarians; Known for their Philanthropy and Public Service; both Volunteer as AK-EDUSAT Regional Coordinators and coordinate Kalam Space Clubs in schools & colleges in Rotary Districts 3182 & 3190.

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO): World-renowned in Satellite Technology, Launch and all Space technology matters. Willing to provide Technology guidance, testing, validation, securing Ka-band, UHF, VHF Frequencies license from international bodies, etc. giving full support for the students developing AK-EDUSAT Nano-satellite.

Technical Teams: When funding is available, experienced IT & Space Technical Experts shall be recruited to monitor, operate, maintain, data upload, etc. when Engineering & Launch modules are getting ready.

IWSF has no salaried staff; all are Volunteers. If a project requires staff recruitment, IWSF shall enforce its Non-Discrimination & Inclusiveness Policy.  

Core Values: ACCOUNTABILITY, TRANSPARENCY, DIVERSITY, INCLUSIVENESS, NON-DISCRIMINATION, NON-HARASSMENT, EQUAL EMPLOYMENT, Protect the UNDER-SERVED & UNDER-REPRESENTED.  

Diversity & Inclusiveness:  It is the policy & firm commitment of IWSF to treat all persons with equal respect and dignity, cherish the strength in their diversity and embrace inclusiveness in all its activities and functions with all those in interacts, including the generous Donors, Volunteers, Staff, Communities, Organizations and Institutions.

Non-Discrimination: IWSF does not and shall not discriminate any individual or entity on the basis of one’s race, ancestry, color, religion, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, physical or mental disability, political belief or affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity & expression, genetic information, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under state or federal law, in any of its operations, missions, projects, programs, activities & functions.

Equal Opportunity: IWSF is committed to a policy of EQUAL Employment Opportunity, does NOT discriminate, and shall enforce measures protecting the under-served & under-represented against discrimination in employment, recruitment, advertisement for employment, compensation, termination, promotions and other conditions of employment against any employee or job applicant on the basis of race, ancestry, color, religion, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, mental or physical disability, political belief or affiliation. sexual orientation, gender identity & expression, genetic information, etc. as may be prohibited by state and federal law.

[1] IWSF seeks funds from many donors & grants. Each award ensures more of the 500+ million poor students can be helped and benefit from this worthy, transformative, innovative project. Covid-19 has taught everyone’s (physical, mental, intellectual & emotional) health is intricately linked to the well-being of entire humanity.  

[2] Any fund (however small) will help in many ways. $ 190 enables a poor student use online education. $ 10.50/portable solar light ensures a poor child in a hut with no electricity can study after sunset. $ 15/small home library ensures a toddler in a tribal/poor family develops the habit of reading and learning from a very young age.  

[3] MIT is a pioneer in MOOCS offering 10,000+ free online courses to ensure quality education is available to all who seek. By Dec. 2019, only 4.` billion in the world could access internet to use the MOOCS courses. [2] AK-EDUSAT Project takes it one giant step further, to ensure the effort by MIT and others to empower 7+ billion – even those in remote islands, forests, mountains, etc. AK-EDUSAT harnesses ICT-Space-Satellite technologies, giving free access to quality educational contents to 500+ million poor students worldwide. World Knowledge Platforms, Knowledge Connectivity programs, etc. shall remain free for all 7+ billion.  

[4] Solve Global Challenge would bring AK-EDUSAT Project to the attention of many who also believe quality education is a birthright of every child born, anywhere in the world, without any discrimination or bias.

Funds (in any amount) shall benefit millions of poor students in several ways to make the best use of ICT technology in bridging the learning gap from several months of lock-downs. When AK-EDUSAT is in orbit, that would enable learning from reputed teachers, educators & scholars from many countries, overcoming teacher-shortage. 

 Public Relations will help spread the information to lot of students & teachers in several countries to participate & benefit from the online Knowledge Connectivity programs, They shall listen to & learn from well-known Scientists, Educators and Scholars IWSF invites every month to address and interact with the students from many countries.

 Expand: Accredited educational institutions worldwide shall use the educational contents downloaded from AK-EDUSAT. They in turn shall contribute their accredited contents from their institute to relay through AK-EDUSAT, expanding Knowledge Sharing. Public Relations would help bring more institutes on board for this important role.

 Monitor: A dedicated team of ICT & Satellite Technology staff shall monitor the orbital path, altitude, the subsystems, entire operations, etc. of AK-EDUSAT. Once launched, they shall use UHF & VHF frequencies to maintain & ensure it is fully functional 24/7/365 for 3-to-5 years. Public schools & colleges shall register for automatic download from the AK-EDUSAT Transponder when in its ground-trace as AK-EDUSAT orbits the earth 14 times, every 24 hours.

 Technology: All these are made possible by ICT-SPACE-Satellite technologies. Experts in these can contribute suitable apps with features millions of students & teachers would find useful.

IWSF welcomes anyone keen in promoting quality education, to ignite the minds and empower the lives of 3+ billion less fortunate through the Knowledge Connectivity programs and AK-EDUSAT Project. IWSF seeks dedicated local individuals and organizations willing to provide the critical last-mile-connectivity and long term support to public schools & colleges in their area. Any individual, organization or group that is familiar with any local entities in many parts of the world are requested to get in touch with them and if willing to take up the responsibility, introduce them to IWSF.  

Any help to bring this charitable project to the attention of public education & research institutions, teachers, students, parents, local organizations, etc. will be much appreciated. The more deserving poor students make use of this, the better it will become. Reaching all 3+ billion poor worldwide requires the help from a lot of leaders, experts, governments, people and organizations in every country.

Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs, Jaycees, and several well established (Non-Profit and For-Profit) organizations shall help in our sincere effort in ‘Igniting Minds & Empowering Lives’ with quality education, literacy, employable skills and knowledge to evolve a world without poverty, injustice, inequality, ignorance, illiteracy, discrimination, ill-health, etc.  

With such wonderful support, this project shall continue for several decades with the active involvement of those who seek a world without conflicts, people living harmoniously, in peace, genuinely caring for one another, helping to overcome any disasters (natural or man-made).

16 million children in the US could not afford online education during the Covid-19 pandemic. Providing digital devices to many of these less fortunate students would facilitate online education. Post-pandemic education system would involve a hybrid method of onsite & online teaching & learning. The poor students shall continue to use these portable digital devices for their [K-12] education.

The vast digital educational & learning resources as well as millions of E-Books are freely accessible with these digital devices. Bright students shall find these helping them overcome the learning gap forced by the 18+ months of school lock-down, etc. Online education combined with onsite education shall strengthen each other as the world overcomes the pandemic.

IWSF shall collaborate with Educational Districts in the US to identify several deserving under-served, under-represented groups, Native American children, less fortunate children & students in many inner city public schools in the US, etc. IWSF shall arrange to provide digital devices for their online education and invite them to participate in the online interactive Knowledge Connectivity programs.  

The exact number of children receiving help with the ASA Grant shall depend on (i) the grant amount IWSF receives from ASA, (ii) prevailing cost of digital devices and (iii) finding reliable local non-profits willing to provide the last-mile-connectivity & support the children for many years. $ 250,000 would enable helping hundreds of deserving students in many locations.

IWSF considers every child born in this world precious and each one deserves quality education without any discrimination. The plight of children in refugee camps is deplorable. Apart from being suddenly and rudely uprooted from a normal life, they are robbed of a normal childhood, undernourished, in poor health, forced child labor, illiteracy, with no formal education.

IWSF firmly believes quality education and employable skills will help the children get over the hard times they experienced at the Refugee Camps and start rebuilding their lives to achieve intellectual, emotional & economic freedom with resilience, self-reliance and integrate as part of the society.

The hardships experienced by innocent children may hurt them for the rest of their lives, unless proper remedy is instituted in time. If IWSF receives the Andan Prize for Innovation in Refugee Inclusion, every penny of the $ 100,000 shall be used in (i) setting up Dynamic Digital Libraries (DDL) in several Refugee Camps; (ii) giving children & youth in the Refugee camps smart portable digital devices to pursue online education, (iii) invite them to participate in online ‘Knowledge Connectivity’ programs, (iv) receive free access to quality educational contents conveyed to the DDL from AK-EDUSAT, (v) download millions of free e-books through the DDL, (vi) free Tele-Education, Tele-Tutoring, etc. Quality Education, employable skills & knowledge shall ignite their minds and rescue these unfortunate children in refugee camps by empowering them to achieve a safe, secure, peaceful, happy & prosperous life.

‘Igniting Minds’ Mission of IWSF shall empower poor billions through Education, Literacy, Skills and Knowledge, enabling them to complete on equal terms with the affluent, for gainful employment and achieve a better quality of life, eradicating poverty, inequality, injustice, bias, discrimination, etc. Productive citizens evolve happy, peaceful, prosperous societies that cherish diversity, are inclusive, live in harmony with mutual respect, protect nature and preserve the fragile planet earth.  

Through Kalam Space Clubs (KSC) being set up in every school & college, IWSF promotes STE(A)M  [Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture & Math]. Kalam Innovation Hub (KIH), one for every 60–80 KSC shall provide hands-on experiments that foster curiosity, creativity, discovery, exploration, innovation, etc.  

Each KIH shall start with the following Labs: (1) Basic Engineering (2) Astronomy and Space Science (3) Drone Technology (4) Innovators Corner (5) Rocketry (6) Agri-tech and Bio-tech (7) Internet of Things, etc., at an estimated cost of US$ 25,000/KIH. More labs in other disciplines shall be added with future donations, when the KIH are well received and used.  

IWSF will use $ 150,000 grant from GM to set up SIX Kalam Innovation Hubs in Engineering Institutes in India. Each KIH shall cater to 100,000+ students [K-12 & Post-secondary], conduct regional Science experiments, competitions, exhibits, etc. The host institutes shall provide required space for setting up KIH, maintain & sustain them for several years. This would fit GM’s dedication in making STEM education more accessible and equitable.

IWSF is built on the firm belief every child born, without discrimination, has the right to quality education, employable skills and adequate knowledge. IWSF believes educated women (i) are crucial in ensuring generations of educated families and (ii) play an important role in the society and the country marching forward.  

For a variety of reasons, in India, disproportionate number of girls are forced to drop out of schools before 5th & 10th Grades. This is a huge loss of human brilliance, critical & essential to  resolving many societal problems, including illiteracy, ignorance, poverty, gender inequality, bias, discrimination, violence, verbal, physical & mental abuse of women, etc.  

Bridging the Digital Divide, online Tele-Education, Tele-tutoring, Knowledge Connectivity, etc. shall play a vital role in encouraging girls education – both onsite & online, mitigate the drop-out problem and ensure every girl-child gets proper access to quality equitable education.  

IWSF shall use every penny of the $ 75,000 grant from Vodafone America Foundation in promoting quality education for girl-children worldwide. IWSF believes modern ICT, Space & Satellite technologies would be the great equalizers by making quality education at a very low, affordable cost to 3+ billion poor, empower them with knowledge and skills to get over long standing societal problems such as poverty, ignorance, illiteracy, injustice, inequality, discrimination, etc.

AK-EDUSAT shall bring innovative technology to improve the quality of life for women and girls. With education and empowerment, their voices will be heard and their achievements celebrated.

IWSF proposes a transformative, unique & disruptive approach enabling quality education and equal opportunities for the poor. The learning gap got worse for the poor, unable to afford online education during the pandemic lockdown lasting for several months. AI, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, etc. shall play a critical role in empowering the poor with Education, Skills & Knowledge to complete on equal terms & gain sustainable employment. Bridging the Digital Divide requires modern ICT tools to close the learning gap in education, literacy, skills & knowledge.  

ICT plays a central role in (i) digitizing educational contents from accredited institutions, (ii) uploading them from Ground Stations to the Ka-Band Transponder Payload in the orbiting AK-EDUSAT, (iii) re-broadcasting from AK-EDUSAT to receiving Ka-Band antennas on the ground for automatic download, (iv) data gathering from millions of students & teachers, (v) data analysis to detect the impact, effectiveness & limitations of these efforts, etc.

  ‘Igniting Minds’ Mission of IWSF shall empower 3+ billion poor with skills and knowledge through equitable education via AK-EDUSAT and harness modern ICT tools for Knowledge Sharing, ‘World Knowledge Platforms’, ‘Knowledge Connectivity’, Tele-Education, Tele-tutoring, etc. IWSF intends to eradicate poverty, illiteracy, inequality, injustice, discrimination, ignorance, etc. & evolve happy, peaceful, conflict-free, prosperous societies that live in harmony, nurturing a livable, green planet earth. These goals are in sync with the philosophy of The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation in advancing AI & data solutions to create a thriving, equitable & sustainable future for all.

IWSF proposes a transformative, unique & disruptive approach enabling quality education and equal opportunities for the poor. The learning gap got worse for the poor, unable to afford online education during the pandemic lock-down lasting for several months. AI, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, etc. shall play a critical role in empowering the poor with Education, Skills & Knowledge to complete on equal terms & gain sustainable employment. Bridging the Digital Divide requires modern ICT tools to close the learning gap in education, literacy, skills & knowledge.  

ICT plays a central role in (i) digitizing educational contents from accredited institutions, (ii) uploading them from Ground Stations to the Ka-Band Transponder Payload in the orbiting AK-EDUSAT, (iii) re-broadcasting from AK-EDUSAT to receiving Ka-Band antennas on the ground for automatic download, (iv) data gathering from millions of students & teachers, (v) data analysis to detect the impact, effectiveness & limitations of these efforts, etc.

‘Igniting Minds’ Mission of IWSF shall empower 3+ billion poor with skills and knowledge through equitable education via AK-EDUSAT and harness modern ICT tools for Knowledge Sharing, ‘World Knowledge Platforms’, ‘Knowledge Connectivity’, Tele-Education, Tele-tutoring, etc. IWSF intends to eradicate poverty, illiteracy, inequality, injustice, discrimination, ignorance, etc. & evolve happy, peaceful, conflict-free, prosperous societies that live in harmony, nurturing a livable, green planet earth. These goals are in sync with the philosophy of The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation in advancing AI & data solutions to create a thriving, equitable & sustainable future for all.