Professor Sugata Mitra

Professor Emeritus NIIT University

Sugata Mitra conducted the Hole in the Wall experiment in 1999 by embedding a computer in a Delhi slum wall, allowing children to use it freely. This aimed to show that children could learn computers without formal training. The experiment inspired Vikas Swarup's novel and the Oscar-winning movie "Slumdog Millionaire". Mitra has over 25 inventions in cognitive science and educational technology and received many awards, including the Dewang Mehta Award in 2003 and the $1 million TED Prize in 2013. Mitra’s work at NIIT University led to pioneering curricula and pedagogy and he invented Self Organised Learning Environments (SOLE) and the Granny Cloud in 2009. Mitra's work has impacted millions of young Indians, especially the poorest. In 2013, he established 'Schools in the Cloud' to study self-organised learning, challenging traditional education concepts. He was named the 2022 Brock Prize in Education Innovation Laureate for his transformative work in children's learning. 


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