This large-scale initiative is designed to embed innovation and problem-solving within the public education system, reaching both students and educators nationwide.

The program aims to onboard a minimum of 25,000 schools across India by collaborating closely with state education departments, SCERTs, and district-level nodal officers. This effort will institutionalize SIM as a core part of public schooling, ensuring its long-term sustainability and integration into mainstream learning.

Teacher and official training forms another cornerstone of the project. Over 20,000 teachers and government education officials, including state and district nodal officers, will be equipped through blended training models. These will include multilingual, modular toolkits grounded in design thinking and innovation pedagogy, empowering educators to guide students through the innovation cycle.

The initiative is set to reach at least 600,000 students across the country, with a target of 400,000 successfully completing the full SIM journey. This journey spans every stage of the innovation process, from identifying challenges and generating ideas to conducting research, developing prototypes, and submitting final solutions under the UPSHIFT-aligned curriculum.

To ensure strong support for participants, the program will deliver mentoring and bootcamps across multiple states, backed by a real-time multilingual helpdesk. Additionally, weekly progress dashboards and reports will be generated to keep national and state stakeholders informed and engaged in the program’s outcomes.

Through this ambitious effort, UNICEF is working to foster a culture of creativity, problem-solving, and leadership among India’s youth, equipping them with the tools to address real-world challenges and drive positive change in their communities.

For more information, visit UN Partner Portal.