As part of the lead-up to the India AI Impact Summit 2026, Amrita University and NCERT jointly hosted a teachers’ capacity-building program on Virtual Labs (OLabs). The program aimed to showcase a wide range of technologies for integration into the teaching-learning process, promoting inclusive and equitable education.
This training event was part of the “International Symposium on AI-Enabled Assistive Technologies for Inclusive Education”, hosted by the UNESCO Chair on Assistive Technologies in Education at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri Campus, Kerala, on January 12–13, 2026.
Over the years, through grants from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India, for the development of Online Labs (OLabs). Amrita, in collaboration with CDAC, worked closely with NCERT to develop OLabs (Virtual Labs), ensuring alignment with the CBSE and NCERT curriculum reflecting the vision of NEP 2020. With the launch of OLabs AI—developed by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham’s EdTech research lab, Amrita CREATE— the integration of advanced technologies enhances and reinforces the existing OLabs ecosystem.
In the Chancellor’s address, Amma (Mata Amritanandamayi Devi), highlighted how academic and research institutions are often evaluated by funding, grants, and publications. However, true educational impact must also be measured by the transformation in students when they engage with human suffering and real-world challenges. It is only when compassion arises in the heart that education becomes meaningful, allowing the individual mind to expand.
At Amrita, compassion-driven research lies at the heart of all endeavors, focusing on developing real-world solutions by listening deeply, understanding lived challenges, and leveraging the latest technologies for social good. Reflecting this sustained commitment to inclusive and high-impact education, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham was ranked 5th globally in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2025 for Quality Education (SDG 4).
As part of the teacher training program, Dr. Praveen B. Binjha, Associate Professor and Programme Coordinator (DICT & TD) at CIET-NCERT, supported by a distinguished delegation of experts from NCERT. The sessions led by NCERT include “Virtual Labs and its Pedagogical Significance” and “DIKSHA: Platform Navigation and Accessing Virtual Labs” that served as a catalyst for redefining experimental learning in the digital age. The focus was on the strategic implementation of the DIKSHA ecosystem, providing participants with intensive guidance on technical and logistical integration.
The hands-on component of the session helped participants become proficient in platform navigation, enabling them to identify and deploy curriculum-aligned virtual lab modules effectively and advanced instructional design. The CIET-NCERT delegation team members include Dr. Jipsy Malhotra and Dr. Ruchi Dwedi (Assistant Professors), Dr. Anjana Bhardwaj and Dr. Ab Qauyum (Academic Consultants), and Mr. Harsh Madhav (Technical Consultant).
Introducing the latest education technologies to teachers, in a high-fidelity immersion exercise using OLabs Virtual Reality (VR) was led by Mr. Sachith KP, Amrita CREATE. At the venue, five dedicated VR stations, where participants engaged in hands-on experimentation across Upper Primary Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. This rotation-based model provided each educator with direct experience in navigating 3D environments, simulating complex laboratory procedures with precision.
Together, these sessions underscored the transformative potential of AI-enabled and immersive educational technologies in advancing inclusive, curriculum-aligned, and experiential learning—empowering educators to better prepare all learners for the demands of the future. It also reflected how ongoing collaborations and working together advance SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
