CBSE officially unveils 'Youth Ideathon 2023'

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has officially launched the eagerly awaited 'Youth Ideathon 2023' at its New Delhi headquarters. This annual event stands as India's largest festival of startup ideas designed exclusively for school students.

The festival, initiated in 2021 through a collaborative effort between the Management Entrepreneurship Professional Skills Council (MEPSC) and ThinkStartup, has successfully entered its third edition.

The inauguration of the 3rd edition of Youth Ideathon took place on October 6, 2023, at the CBSE Headquarters. The event featured distinguished figures such as Dr Biswajit Saha, Director of Skill Development), Dr. Joseph Emmanuel, Director (Academics), and Dr Praggya M Singh, Director (Academics Assessment).

Also in attendance were the Top 5 winners of Incubation and Fellowship grants from Youth Ideathon 2022. These winners presented their innovative startups' progress over the last year of incubation by ThinkStartup.

Addressing the gathering of educators and participants, Dr Biswajit Saha, Director (Skill Development), CBSE, emphasised



the festival's mission, stating,

"Youth Ideathon strives to motivate and build change-makers who can take India to global leadership. This multistage festival of innovation not only strives to identify, showcase, and feature some of India's brightest young entrepreneurial minds but will also work towards inculcating the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship in schools."

"Youth Ideathon prepares young students to navigate the complexities of a dynamically changing world by focusing on society's ever-changing needs," he further added.

Dr Joseph Emmanuel, Director (Academics) CBSE, echoed these sentiments, saying, "For any society to be a world leader, it has to foster a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. We want this to be introduced in schools. Youth Ideathon is an initiative in that direction."

"It is a comprehensive program that runs over a 6-week period, during which MEPSC and ThinkStartup conduct Faculty Development Workshops on teaching innovation and entrepreneurship in classrooms. Schools must take maximum benefit of this opportunity," he further added.