Once unable to afford school fees, Vikas Kumar now teaches AI and robotics to rural children

In Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, there was a time when children’s education was limited to studying under the shade of a tree or inside a small hut. But today, there are digital classrooms and e-libraries there. Children are also being taught subjects such as computer education, robotics, and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The credit for this transformation goes to Vikas Kumar, who turned the financial hardships of his childhood and the limited opportunities available to village children into an educational mission. His NGO, Sankalp Shiksha, is now trying to connect rural students not only with education but also with skills and technology.

This story is also important because, despite increased access to schools in rural India, the challenge of providing quality learning and digital skills remains. According to the ASER 2024 report, only 48.7% of Class 5 children in rural India were able to read a Class 2-level text. For the first time, the report also collected national-level data on digital access and skills among children aged 14–16.

Childhood Spent in Financial Hardship

Vikas Kumar grew up in a village in Kushinagar. His father was a Group D employee. Because of his job, the family later moved to the town where his father was posted, but their connection with the village remained.

During his childhood, Vikas personally experienced financial hardship. Many times, because his school fees had not been paid, he was not allowed to sit for examinations. When he was in Class 4, his father died after an illness, making the family’s difficulties even worse. At one point, the family lived in a single room in Kushinagar and shared a toilet with around 20 people.

Despite these circumstances, Vikas did not give up his education. After Class 10, he went to Gorakhpur to prepare for the JEE and later secured admission to NIT Hamirpur.

It was here that one question became stronger in his mind: If a village child can move ahead when given the right opportunities, why shouldn’t other children in villages also receive such opportunities?

Did Social Work During Covid

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Vikas and his college friends planned to help people in the village. Initially, they thought of making sanitiser, but the required alcohol was not available.

The team then tried to understand local needs and began distributing ration supplies. With the help of college seniors and alumni, ration kits were delivered to around 400–500 families across 10–15 villages.

This relief work helped Vikas realise that providing help during a crisis was necessary, but long-term change could only be achieved through education and skills.

A New Chapter Began With Four Rooms

The Sankalp Shiksha Foundation was formally registered in November 2020, with Vikas Kumar among its directors.

However, in the beginning, running the NGO full-time was not part of Vikas’s plan. After completing his studies at NIT Hamirpur, he secured a job through campus placement in July 2021. He wanted to prepare for the civil services.

Then, encouragement from a senior and later the availability of Work From Home gave him more time for social work.

Meanwhile, Vikas started posting about his work on LinkedIn. The CEO of his company saw these posts and initially helped with the distribution of blankets. Later, the CEO asked Vikas to submit a funding proposal.

Vikas applied for funding of ₹4 lakh, which was approved in around 10 days. Using this money, four rooms were rented, and the skill development programme was formally launched on June 10, 2023.

From a Hut to a Digital Classroom

In the early days, Vikas and his team began teaching children in Musahar settlements. A small hut was built. In many places, classes were conducted under trees. Around 40–50 volunteers became involved in the initiative.

But a problem soon emerged. Bringing children to the classes was easy, but keeping them regular was difficult. Some children would attend for a week and then disappear for several days. This disrupted continuity in their learning.

Vikas changed his model based on this experience. In 2023, the NGO decided to focus on technology and quality education instead of working across several social issues.

Tests were introduced to identify talented children from financially weaker families. Students are charged a nominal fee of ₹200 so that both families and children remain committed to their education.

After this, Sankalp Digital Pathshala took the model forward. According to the NGO’s website, facilities for digital learning, computer education, and an e-library have been provided in Salemgarh. The objective is to provide rural children with better educational resources and help them prepare for competitive examinations.

Children Are Now Building Sensors, Robots, and Rockets

Sankalp Shiksha’s model is now no longer limited only to books.

According to a report published by The Logical Indian in June 2026, the organisation’s three major programmes include Skill Development for graduates, Innovators of Tomorrow for students from Classes 6 to 12, and a digital library. The organisation uses Physics Wallah’s educational content through digital boards along with guidance from offline teachers. It also has a robotics lab and an AI space. Weekly sessions on AI, robotics, and computer education are conducted in four government schools.

According to the NGO, its current work also gives children hands-on learning opportunities in areas such as drones, circuits, and automation.

At a science exhibition held in Salemgarh in November 2024, students presented projects including sensor-based models, pollution-control systems, electricity-saving solutions, and a driverless sensor-based car.

This transformation is significant. Sankalp Shiksha is working toward ensuring that rural children do not remain merely consumers of technology, but learn to understand and build it themselves.

The Road Ahead

According to media reports, around 250 regular beneficiaries and eight to nine teachers are associated with the NGO. Around 125 students are part of the skill development programme, and it is claimed that 40–50 young people have secured employment with the organisation’s support. Over the past five years, including its initial relief activities, the NGO claims to have reached around 2,000–2,200 students.

Vikas is now planning to leave his job and devote himself full-time to Sankalp Shiksha. His immediate goal is not expansion, but strengthening the existing model in Kushinagar.

His dream is: Lack of money should never become the reason a child has to stop studying, and rural children should not be forced to leave their villages in order to receive a good education.

An initiative that once began with ration kits has today moved beyond books to AI and robotics. The journey that began with four rented rooms still has a long way to go, but one thing is certainly changing for the children of Kushinagar: They no longer necessarily have to go to a city to begin pursuing their dreams; the village itself can now be an option.