Through the STEM Collective, we are working to expand access, aspiration, and opportunity for government school students across Punjab, with a special focus on girls. This initiative brings together non-profits, universities, industry partners, and schools to build meaningful STEM pathways that help young learners move from curiosity to careers.

Currently, the Collective supports 25 government schools across District Patiala and works closely with 100 high-potential girls from Grade 9 onwards, providing structured guidance, exposure, and mentorship as they prepare for higher education opportunities in leading institutions such as IITs, AIIMS, IISER, Delhi University, and other Tier-1 institutions.

At its core, this initiative is about building knowledge, mobility, agency, and long-term independence through education, especially for students who have historically had limited access to these pathways.

Strengthening the STEM Ecosystem Through Partnerships

The STEM Collective is built on the belief that systemic challenges require collaborative, ecosystem-based solutions.

The Collective also brings together committed partners including Avanti Fellows, Genpact, PI-RAHI, SAMA Foundation, universities, and industry collaborators, each contributing uniquely to mentoring, exposure, and academic preparation.

Creating Exposure That Builds Aspiration

A key part of the program focuses on exposure to real-world learning environments.

Recently, over 50 girls visited Plaksha University as part of an immersive campus exposure program. For many students, this was their first experience exploring a university campus of this scale, interacting with professors, visiting advanced laboratories, and learning about academic pathways and scholarships. The visit helped students better understand the possibilities available through higher education and strengthened their motivation to pursue STEM careers.

Similarly, on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, students from School of Eminence Bhadson and GSSS Mangewal visited Kartar Agrotech Ltd., where they observed the manufacturing process of farm equipment and interacted with engineers on the shop floor. Watching the girls confidently explore tractors and heavy machinery was a powerful reminder of how exposure can challenge gender stereotypes and expand what young girls believe is possible for themselves.

Student feedback from these visits has been deeply valuable. Many girls expressed interest in visiting robotics labs and automobile manufacturing plants and asked for deeper technical explanations of industrial processes. These insights are now shaping the design of the next phase of the 100 Girls Program, ensuring the initiative remains student-informed and aspirational.

Building Data to Guide Impact

Alongside exposure and mentorship, the initiative is also building a strong evidence base to guide future programming.

A recent district-wide STEM assessment drive reached over 3,000 students across 22 schools in Patiala. This large-scale effort was made possible through the support of NSS volunteers from Punjabi University, Patiala, who helped conduct assessments, manage logistics, and support classroom engagement across schools.

The exercise has generated a rich district-wide dataset that will help identify student strengths, learning gaps, and emerging potential. These insights will inform the selection of students for the Genpact STEM Girls Program Top 100 and guide the next phase of deeper academic engagement.

Looking Ahead

By strengthening STEM access for government school students, particularly girls, the STEM Collective is addressing a multidimensional challenge that connects education, opportunity, economic participation, and systemic equity. Through partnerships, exposure, mentorship, and data-driven programming, we are steadily building pathways that help young learners move from aspiration to achievement.

Alongside our programmatic work, Sanjhi Sikhiya is also preparing for Kirrt Yatra 2026, a community-led journey that brings together supporters, volunteers, and well-wishers who believe in expanding access to quality education across Punjab. The Yatra plays an important role in strengthening the broader ecosystem that sustains and grows educational programs.

If you would like to learn more about the Yatra or explore ways to participate, please visit:
https://www.sanjhisikhiya.org/kirrt-yatra-2026/

Together, through collective effort and shared commitment, we continue working toward a future where every child has access to opportunity, confidence, and the chance to shape their own path.

Through the STEM Collective, we are working to expand access, aspiration, and opportunity for government school students across Punjab, with a special focus on girls. This initiative brings together non-profits, universities, industry partners, and schools to build meaningful STEM pathways that help young learners move from curiosity to careers.

Currently, the Collective supports 25 government schools across District Patiala and works closely with 100 high-potential girls from Grade 9 onwards, providing structured guidance, exposure, and mentorship as they prepare for higher education opportunities in leading institutions such as IITs, AIIMS, IISER, Delhi University, and other Tier-1 institutions.

At its core, this initiative is about building knowledge, mobility, agency, and long-term independence through education, especially for students who have historically had limited access to these pathways.

Strengthening the STEM Ecosystem Through Partnerships

The STEM Collective is built on the belief that systemic challenges require collaborative, ecosystem-based solutions.

The Collective also brings together committed partners including Avanti Fellows, Genpact, PI-RAHI, SAMA Foundation, universities, and industry collaborators, each contributing uniquely to mentoring, exposure, and academic preparation.

Creating Exposure That Builds Aspiration

A key part of the program focuses on exposure to real-world learning environments.

Recently, over 50 girls visited Plaksha University as part of an immersive campus exposure program. For many students, this was their first experience exploring a university campus of this scale, interacting with professors, visiting advanced laboratories, and learning about academic pathways and scholarships. The visit helped students better understand the possibilities available through higher education and strengthened their motivation to pursue STEM careers.

Similarly, on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, students from School of Eminence Bhadson and GSSS Mangewal visited Kartar Agrotech Ltd., where they observed the manufacturing process of farm equipment and interacted with engineers on the shop floor. Watching the girls confidently explore tractors and heavy machinery was a powerful reminder of how exposure can challenge gender stereotypes and expand what young girls believe is possible for themselves.

Student feedback from these visits has been deeply valuable. Many girls expressed interest in visiting robotics labs and automobile manufacturing plants and asked for deeper technical explanations of industrial processes. These insights are now shaping the design of the next phase of the 100 Girls Program, ensuring the initiative remains student-informed and aspirational.

Building Data to Guide Impact

Alongside exposure and mentorship, the initiative is also building a strong evidence base to guide future programming.

A recent district-wide STEM assessment drive reached over 3,000 students across 22 schools in Patiala. This large-scale effort was made possible through the support of NSS volunteers from Punjabi University, Patiala, who helped conduct assessments, manage logistics, and support classroom engagement across schools.

The exercise has generated a rich district-wide dataset that will help identify student strengths, learning gaps, and emerging potential. These insights will inform the selection of students for the Genpact STEM Girls Program Top 100 and guide the next phase of deeper academic engagement.

Looking Ahead

By strengthening STEM access for government school students, particularly girls, the STEM Collective is addressing a multidimensional challenge that connects education, opportunity, economic participation, and systemic equity. Through partnerships, exposure, mentorship, and data-driven programming, we are steadily building pathways that help young learners move from aspiration to achievement.

Alongside our programmatic work, Sanjhi Sikhiya is also preparing for Kirrt Yatra 2026, a community-led journey that brings together supporters, volunteers, and well-wishers who believe in expanding access to quality education across Punjab. The Yatra plays an important role in strengthening the broader ecosystem that sustains and grows educational programs.

If you would like to learn more about the Yatra or explore ways to participate, please visit:
https://www.sanjhisikhiya.org/kirrt-yatra-2026/

Together, through collective effort and shared commitment, we continue working toward a future where every child has access to opportunity, confidence, and the chance to shape their own path.

Over the past few months, our work across Punjab has continued to deepen its roots in classrooms, in communities, and in the everyday lives of children. From governance spaces to cultural immersions, every step has reinforced a simple truth: when people come together with shared purpose, progress becomes inevitable.

Our team and Young Leaders have been working closely with teachers, Panchayats, and School Management Committees, strengthening CAMs, leading school assessments, conducting Gram Sikhiya Sabhas, and building stronger academic and governance practices across districts. These conversations and collaborations are slowly but surely shaping schools where families feel included, and children feel seen.

This period also brought powerful moments of collective learning. Punjab Dialogues opened space for experts, citizens, and volunteers to reflect on floods, livelihoods, ecological health, and resilience. The Punjab Yatra took participants across the state, connecting them with communities preserving Punjab’s cultural, social, and economic spirit. Cross-state learning with organisations like Vidhya Vidhai and the planning for our STEM Collective initiative with our partners brought new ideas and renewed energy into our work.

Through it all, one thing stands strong: the commitment of Punjab’s people. Teachers pushing for better classrooms, Panchayats stepping into ownership, youth leading change, and communities sharing wisdom and hope.

Together, we are building systems that last, relationships that matter, and a Punjab where leadership and learning grow hand in hand.

Read Our Recent Updates

At a time when many parts of Punjab are grappling with devastating floods, our thoughts and prayers are with all families and communities affected. These moments remind us that true change is not just about progress, it’s about standing together in resilience and solidarity.

Even in these difficult times, young leaders of Cohort 7 have stepped forward with courage. Having completed their induction, they are now joining their districts, walking into classrooms, engaging with communities, and co-creating solutions on the ground. From innovative role-play activities in Cluster Academic Meetings to scaling initiatives in Patiala, these changemakers are not only learning, but also bringing hope and energy where it is most needed.

Our team has also been deeply focused on learning, with the latest student assessment report helping us reflect on progress and chart ways for greater impact.

Together, let’s continue shaping a future that belongs to everyone it touches, rooted in resilience, care, and collective strength.

Read Our July Updates

There is something powerful unfolding across Punjab, a quiet but steady shift led by communities, teachers, Panchayats, and young changemakers.

From April to June, we witnessed schools reopening their doors to trust, Panchayats stepping up for education, and young leaders finding their voice and purpose. A 77% rise in enrolment, deeper community ownership, and powerful moments of reflection all marked this quarter as one of collective growth and renewed commitment.

These stories are not just ours, they are made possible by people like you, who believe in grassroots change.

Read our April–June Quarterly Updates

Updates from Quarter 3

Our operations in the field are divided into two categories:

1. Teachers Development
-Cluster Academic Meetings (CAM)/ Teacher Collectives
-Implementation observed post-teacher collectives
2. Community Participation
-Gram Sikhiya Sabhas (GSS)/ Community Collectives
-School Management Committee (SMC) Meetings
-Panchayat Collectives

Following are some updates from the last quarter:

I. Teachers Development

Cluster Academic Meeting (CAM)/ Teacher Collectives 
Number of collectives held : 24

Purpose of Cluster Academic Meetings:

To create a space for a cluster’s teachers to

-Understand the importance of collaboration amongst them;
-Share and innovate new practices that would help students attain LOs.
-Brainstorm on the common challenges and design their solutions.

Some of the topics of discussions during these meetings were:

1. A conversation on how Storytelling can be used in teaching language skills was initiated. Discussion on the following themes took place:

-What is storytelling? Why is it important?
-How can it help children in language learning?
-How to design storytelling sessions with the children?

2. Oral comprehension:
-How to build upon the children's existing knowledge in helping them become fluent in speaking?
-A discussion on our focus on comprehending oral expression vs focus on the accuracy of pronunciation was also held.

3. Discussion on the baseline assessment conducted in the month of July with the teachers, and address the gaps.

4. Teachers discussed the areas where they face challenges with the students such as letter identification, vocabulary, reading and comprehension, face value and place value, and word problems.

II. Community Participation 

1. Gram Sikhiya Sabhas (GSS)/ Community Collectives
Number of collectives held: 57

Purpose of these community collectives:

-To enable an effective dialogue between the community and the school;
-To raise awareness of the community’s involvement and responsibilities in the school, 
-To discuss the community’s vision of their school and plan its next steps.

Some highlights from the Community Meetings:

• The roles and responsibilities of the SMC and the Panchayat towards school were discussed.
• There were certain infrastructural issues that were discussed in the meetings.
• The parents also agreed to help in the provision of quality education to their children by actively engaging their children post-classroom and providing a learning environment at home. 
• Issues related to low enrollment and how to improve enrollment were also discussed.

2. School Management Committee (SMC) Meetings
Number of meetings held:30

Purpose of SMC Meetings:

-To encourage parents and SMC members to participate in the school development plan & support its effective implementation.
-To discuss the progress of the outcomes and tasks discussed in the previous meetings.

Some highlights from the SMC Meetings held:

• Discussed the importance of parents spending time with their children, importance of storytelling in their child’s lives; 
• Importance of having a healthy home environment and parent-child relationship for a child was also discussed;
• Supported the teachers in facilitating the ‘Child Sexual Abuse’ aspect in the Mother’s workshop. Since this was an important topic of discussion, we invited all the parents (i.e. of all the grades);
• Discussion on their roles and responsibilities and their significance to the school was held; 
• SMC & Parents were encouraged to frequently visit the school to discuss the school and their child’s needs with the teacher.
• SMC, Sarpanch, and Teachers volunteered to pay a salary of Rs. 3,000 for their computer teacher volunteer; 
• SMC agreed to meet monthly for discussing the school’s needs;

3. Panchayat Collective
Number of Collectives held: 01

Location: Chamkaur Sahib, Rupnagar

Purpose of Panchayat Collective:

To bring different stakeholders from Panchayati Raj and Education Department together, namely BDPO, Panchayat Members, Panchayat Secretaries, BPEO, and CHT to discuss infrastructural issues in the schools of the cluster.

Issues Identified and Discussed:

Challenges put forward by the Panchayats:

Way Forward:

• More Participation of Panchayats in SMC meetings, Student Enrollment Drives, Child-friendly schools, and a community environment is needed to fulfill the initiative of the Punjab Panchayati Raj Act, 1994;
• Need for cordial cooperation between Concerned Teachers and Panchayats;
• Panchayats need better guidance on the different types of funds available and how to avail them.