Mumbai Teen Makes STEM Education Accessible To Underprivileged Children

Cathedral and John Connon School student Aryan Agarwal’s visit to an NGO with his school sparked an idea that culminated in a project that has now helped 3,000 students. “I had to teach the children at this organisation, and I noticed that they didn't have any material to help them visualise what was being taught. So I taught them about kinetic energy using a board and showed them how, when the board goes down, a change in energy takes place,” shares Agarwal.

That day, he had a breakthrough—the idea to launch a project centered on using common household items to make school concepts easier to understand. In September 2024, he started Project Spark, a grassroots STEM education initiative aimed at delivering engaging, affordable science experiences to underprivileged children through creative, hands-on experiments using everyday materials.

Project Spark's mission is to ignite curiosity in young minds—one experiment at a time—by making science accessible, engaging, and empowering. The initiative aims to bridge the education gap by bringing hands-on STEM learning to underprivileged communities that often lack practical resources. By redesigning traditional experiments using simple household materials, Project Spark shows children that subjects like Math and Physics aren't intimidating; in fact, they are powerful tools for understanding the world.

To further break down barriers, the project also offers a digital platform with free downloadable resources on www.projectsparrk.com, ensuring that every child, regardless of location or background, has the opportunity to explore, experiment, and learn.

Since its inception, the 17-year-old has led in-person science sessions for nearly 700 underprivileged children at partner NGO schools like Akanksha Foundation, Muktangan, and Rajasthani Mahila Mandal School, among others. He is bringing STEM education directly to those who need it most. Recognising that many community centres lack access to lab equipment, he reimagined classic experiments—such as circuits and pendulums—using easily available materials like foil, erasers, and balloons.

This approach ensures that every child, regardless of resources, can experience the excitement of scientific discovery in a way that is both accessible and impactful. “The main change I hope to see through this initiative is that more children will develop an interest in the subjects I love—STEM—and that more students will be able to enjoy learning in the process. These goals are my primary focus,” signs off the young changemaker.

news