New Delhi: What if students could explore their future careers through a magic mirror, interact with holograms of APJ Abdul Kalam and BR Ambedkar, or travel from the depths of the oceans to Moon without leaving a room? These are among the experiences awaiting visitors at CBSE’s new Education Experience Centre in Dwarka, inaugurated by Union education minister Pralhad Joshi Tuesday.Spread across 6,000 square feet, the centre has 12 zones and 21 exhibits, offering students a journey through India’s educational heritage, science, environmental issues and emerging career opportunities. Instead of merely reading about these subjects, visitors can explore them through interactive installations, games and simulations. RFID-enabled smart cards allow students to unlock activities across different zones and personalise their experience according to their interests.The journey begins with ‘Shiksha ki Kahani’, a short film narrated through the voice of Saraswati river. It traces India’s educational evolution from gurukuls and ancient learning centres such as Nalanda to modern schools and digital classrooms.Another section brings CBSE’s own history alive through archival photographs and records dating back to 1935, while an interactive geological timeline takes visitors through the history of Earth.Among the attractions are holograms of Ambedkar, Kalam, cricketer Kapil Dev and mountaineer Arunima Sinha, designed to familiarise students with their ideas, achievements and life journeys through conversation-style interactions.Students curious about what they might become can explore Career Explorer, Future of Professions and Magic Mirror: Future You. These installations introduce different career paths and how professions could change in the coming years.A dedicated Exam Warriors kiosk, inspired by PM Narendra Modi’s book, turns examination-related advice into interactive activities. Games such as Poke Your Fear, Build Your Day, Untangle the Tangle and Celebrate Your Strengths encourage students to manage stress, plan their studies and build confidence.The experience concludes with Eduverse, a multisensory installation transporting visitors through forests, oceans, Himalayas, Moon and other planets, before returning to Earth with a message about interconnected natural systems.Inaugurating the centre, Joshi criticised the obsession with marks, which he termed “marks-wadi”. “The cost is that a child’s understanding, learning capacity and interests go unexamined,” he said, calling for replacing rote memorisation with experiential learning.
