As part of a major step towards filling the gap between school education and higher learning, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has initiated its flagship outreach programme, ‘School Connect’ Programme, to schools all over India. The programme, with a vision to develop young minds and introduce them to new research areas, will now have 10 different online certificate programmes, which will be available to students from Classes X, XI, and XII. With more than 2,300 schools already involved and over 50,000 students affected, the program continues to expand in scope, providing sequential learning activities that allow students to make informed decisions regarding academic and career paths.

Beginning with only two courses, ‘Introduction to Data Science and Artificial Intelligence’ and ‘Introduction to Electronic Systems,’ the School Connect Programme now has eight additional specialist subjects under its belt. These hands-on web courses, lasting for eight weeks, aim to spark curiosity and offer early exposure to actual-world disciplines. Admission to August batch 2025 has already started and the last date is July 25, 2025. Schools participating can enroll students through the official portal at code.iitm.ac.in/schoolconnect.

Prof. V Kamakoti, IIT Madras Director, addressed the larger context of the initiative and said, “Early exposure to areas of the future can ignite interest and inform future innovators.”. We are betting on a future-ready nation by getting students ready at an early stage. The initiative is led by the Centre of Outreach and Digital Education (CODE) at IIT Madras and is one of the contributions of the institution towards forging an improved linkage between schooling education and the intellectual rigor of higher education.

The courses are designed specifically to cater to the interest and academic level of high school students to allow them to learn numerous interdisciplinary subjects beyond the school curriculum. They include ‘Introduction to Architecture & Design’, ‘Fun with Math and Computing’, ‘Math Unplugged: Games and Puzzles’, ‘Introduction to Ecology’, ‘Introduction to Engineering Biological Systems’, ‘Introduction to Law’, ‘The Fundamentals of Aerospace’, and ‘Humanities Unplugged’. Each course is designed to cover a conceptual introduction along with assignments and an additional optional project component to enable hands-on experience and practical application.

One of the unique features of the programme is that it can be scaled up and customized. IIT Madras has scheduled three batches of the programme in the academic year in August, October, and January and hence offers scope for students to take a maximum of three courses per annum depending upon their choice and convenience. This modular approach not only gives students the flexibility to join without disrupting their normal academic schedule but also permits sustained interest in different areas.

The online mode of delivery once more extends the horizons of quality education, enabling students from far-flung and underprivileged areas to avail themselves of the expertise of IIT Madras. From interactive content, live sessions, recorded lectures, and guided assignments, the student has access to building a serious familiarity with topics of the sort addressed only at the UG level. Artificial intelligence, law, aerospace, or ecological systems—whichever the topic, the learning is designed to render learning exciting and inquiring.

IIT Madras has also collaborated in close alignment with school teachers and school administrators to ensure that the courses were complementary to the curriculum. The School Connect Programme was received well as a timely and successful effort, especially in the current fast-paced education landscape where early exposure to dynamic streams like engineering, data science, and computing can meaningfully impact students’ learning pathways.

Additionally, the program is not a rehearsal for tomorrow’s expertise; it is a learning experience in developing vision. By enabling students to venture into real problems and even prospective professions, IIT Madras is helping to create a more capable generation of students that is capable of dealing with the complexities of the 21st century better. It also looks to the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, calling for more flexibility, interdisciplinarity, and holism in learning approaches at a first point of contact.

In a technologically powered, innovative, and interdisciplinary world, institutions such as IIT Madras’s School Connect Programme are the stepping stone itself that enables students to transition comfortably from school to tertiary education. Scaling up the programme is an important milestone in the outreach efforts of the institute and further cements its position as a leader in creating India’s academic and innovation ecosystem.

With the next intake opening in August 2025 and July 25 as the due date for enrollments, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students throughout India to secure early entry into some of the most groundbreaking topics of our era.