Kerala to expand ‘Little KITES’ IT clubs to upper primary, higher secondary levels

The KITE, the technology arm of the Kerala General Education Department, has announced the expansion of its prestigious Little KITES IT clubs to include students from Class 5 to 12 in the state. The announcement was made by K Anvar Sadath, the CEO of the Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education KITE, during the inauguration of a two-day state-level camp at the Startup Village in Kalamassery, Kochi.

The KITE, the technology arm of the Kerala General Education Department, has announced the expansion of its prestigious 'Little KITES' IT clubs to include students from Class 5 to 12 in the state. While the initiative was previously restricted to students in Classes 8 to 10, this move will now integrate the Upper Primary and Higher Secondary sectors into what has become the nation's largest student-led ICT network, according to an official statement on Wednesday. The announcement was made by K Anvar Sadath, the CEO of the Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE), during the inauguration of a two-day state-level camp at the Startup Village in Kalamassery, Kochi. The move would mark a new era where nearly every student in the public education system can access advanced technical training, it said. Little KITES is a flagship initiative of the Department of General Education, Government of Kerala, designed to foster expertise in programming, robotics, animation, electronics, including Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. The programme has achieved international distinction, including from UNICEF for its unprecedented scale and success in democratising technology within public schools, the statement explained. By encouraging a ''learning by doing'' philosophy, the clubs have empowered a generation of students to evolve from passive technology users into active innovators and problem-solvers who address real-world social and environmental challenges. The ongoing state camp provides a vivid display of this innovative spirit, featuring 204 elite students selected from a massive pool of 78,336 applicants across 2,248 school units. These young inventors have presented projects with deep social significance, such as 'Robo-Arjun,' an underwater submarine developed by students from Malappuram in memory of Arjun, who lost his life in the Shirur landslide, to assist in future rescue missions. Other breakthrough projects include the 'V-Glove,' which translates sign language into audible speech, 'Sonar Pulse' devices that provide vibration alerts to the visually impaired, and a 'Care Bot' capable of assisting the elderly through Malayalam voice commands and automated medicine delivery, it said. Beyond hardware, the camp highlights creative digital excellence through the screening of nearly 50 student-produced animation films that tackle complex global themes, including environmental conservation, the tragedies of war, and lunar missions. To ensure these students receive professional-grade guidance, the event includes intensive interactive sessions with global experts such as Dr. Prahlad Vadakkepat from the National University of Singapore and Startup Mission CEO Anoop Ambika, it added.