School principals · ATL in-charges · Trust boards
How to start an Atal Tinkering Lab in your school
A practical checklist for principals and school management: space, equipment, facilitators, curriculum and reporting for an Atal Tinkering Lab under AIM.
8 minute read
What an ATL is meant to do
An Atal Tinkering Lab is a school makerspace under NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission. The purpose is not to display equipment. It is to give Classes 6–12 a weekly, project-based place to design, prototype and explain solutions to local problems.
Management should treat the lab as an academic programme with a timetable, a trained facilitator and a simple evidence file — not as a one-time purchase.
Space and safety before you order kits
Reserve a lockable room of about 1,000–1,500 sq ft with power points, good light, storage and a wet/dry work split. Confirm fire extinguishers, first-aid and a written safety SOP before students enter.
Place the lab where it can be timetabled like any other subject. A lab that is used only for Open Day will not meet AIM’s intent or your board’s activity record.
Equipment, curriculum and the facilitator
Buy to a published bill of materials, then map every major kit to a grade-wise project calendar. Electronics, robotics, IoT sensors and basic fabrication tools should each have at least one term project.
Appoint one academic owner (often the ATL in-charge) and train two backup teachers. RSIL can supply the equipment plan, a tinkering curriculum, facilitator training and, if you prefer, on-timetable trainers.
Evidence, reporting and the first 90 days
In the first term: induct teachers, run a safety week, complete three class projects and one community-facing showcase. Keep photographs, student journals and a simple attendance register.
If you need a partner to survey the room, procure kits, train staff and run the first year, request a managed ATL plan from RSIL. Start from the school programmes page or the contact form.
Need this planned for your campus?
Request a walkthrough and we will map space, kits, teachers and the first-term calendar to your board and grades.