1994 - B.Tech - Electrical Engineering Founder and CEO, @ AID INDIA, CHENNAI
Dr. Balaji Sampath, Founder and CEO, AID INDIA, Chennai (1994/BT/EC).
Dr. Sampath obtained his B.Tech. degree in EC from IIT Madras in 1994. As a Ph.D. student in the U.S., he was involved in inspiring a large number of Indian students and professionals and forming chapters of the Association for India’s Development (AID) in over 25 cities. After he completed his Ph.D., he chose to return to India to work on education and village development.
He is the founder and CEO of AID INDIA, a non-profit working on children’s education. He has built a team of 400 fulltime activists, 3000 village teachers and 2000 volunteers who have impacted the education of 1 million children in 2000 villages and 8000 schools in 12 districts of Tamil Nadu. AID INDIA is a rare organization in the non-profit sector with a strong outcome and measurement focus.
Eureka Child, AID INDIA’s flagship education program, sparks ambition, curiosity and learning excitement in over 100,000 children in 1030 villages in Tamil Nadu and 100 villages in Bihar. Donors and parents together support community youth who are trained and empowered with tools to become high-quality tutors for children. Many schools, NGOs, Government organizations and agencies such as UNICEF use Eureka materials and methods to improve teaching outcomes. He is also the Founder Trustee of Eureka Books, a non-profit education publisher that has published close to 350 titles and has reached out to more than 8 lakh children with high-quality, low-cost books and kits. In parallel, he has created 175 science demonstration experiments which were aired on TV. He has recently started AhaGuru, an Online Physics Education portal that uses interactive videos and quizzes to improve conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills of high-school students.
Dr. Sampath has received many awards, starting with an All India Rank 4 in the IIT JEE 1990. He has received the Ashoka Fellowship and Lemelson Inventor Certificate for innovative work on Science Education, MIT Indus Technovator’s Award 2005 for AID INDIA’s village education programs, Rotary Distinguished Service Award by the Rotary Club of Madras South, and Pratham USA Achievement Award 2006 for improving reading skills in Tamil Nadu. He also received the Times of India Social Impact Award from the Prime Minister for AID’s global contribution to India’s development.
In recognition of Dr. Balaji Sampath’s tireless efforts to improve school children’s education, IIT Madras and its alumni are proud to confer on him this award.
