How to choose a robotics program for your school.
A checklist for principals and coordinators.
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The short answer: choose a program that is taught in person every week, has a written course for each grade, works without a laptop per student, fits your board and timetable, and shows you a real class before you sign. Then compare the cost model and what your students will have built by the end of the year. The checklist below covers the questions to ask.
Robotics has moved from a once-a-year workshop to a regular part of the timetable in many schools. CBSE now offers skill subjects, a Computational Thinking and AI curriculum and Composite Skill Labs, and parents increasingly ask what their children build, not only what they score. The result is a crowded market: kit sellers, online coding platforms, lab installers and full-service programs all describe themselves as "robotics education". They are not the same thing, and the difference shows up a few months into the year.
1. Is it taught in person, every week?
Robotics is learned with hands on hardware. A loose wire or a motor mounted the wrong way can only be found by checking, testing and fixing, and young students need an adult beside them to learn how to do that. Ask:
- Who will be in the classroom each week: a trained trainer from the provider, or your own teacher with a manual?
- How often do classes run, and how many sessions are there in a year?
- What happens when the trainer is absent?
- Is the online platform the main course, or a support for the classes?
2. Is there a written course for each grade?
A Grade 2 child and a Grade 10 student need very different things. A good program shows you, in writing, the topics, projects and outcomes for every grade, and shows how each year builds on the last. Be wary of a single kit sold to every grade with different worksheets. Ask to see one full term's session plan for two different grades.
3. Does it work without a laptop per student?
Most Indian classrooms don't have a laptop for every student, and a program that assumes one either stalls or turns into a screen session. Ask how coding is taught when devices are limited: unplugged activities for young grades, small-group coding, shared screens, and microcontrollers programmed in turns.
4. Does it fit your board and timetable?
- CBSE schools: ask how the courses map to Kaushal Bodh in the middle years, the CT&AI curriculum, and skill subjects such as AI (417) or Electronics & Hardware (420) in Classes IX–X, and whether the provider can help with a Composite Skill Lab.
- ICSE and State board schools: ask for a mapping to your syllabus, or at least to your science and maths topics.
- Timetable: confirm periods per week, class length, and whether it can run as a period, a club or both.
5. What is in the kit, and who owns it?
Ask for a kit list per grade. Check that young grades use enclosed, low-voltage modules and child-safe tools; that middle grades get real components such as Arduino boards, sensors and motor drivers; and that seniors work with embedded boards, 3D printers and drones. Then ask who owns the kits at the end of the year, who replaces broken parts, and where kits are stored.
6. How is safety handled?
Ask for the written safety policy. It should cover low-voltage work for young children, soldering and hot tools (and from what age), 3D printer handling and ventilation, battery charging and storage, and drone flying: where, how high, in what space, and under whose supervision.
7. Who are the trainers?
Ask about qualifications, how trainers are trained and refreshed, and whether they have background checks. Ask whether the provider trains your own teachers too, so knowledge stays in the school.
8. How are students assessed, and what is reported?
Ask how students are assessed (projects, demonstrations, quizzes), what the school receives (term reports, attendance, project photos), and what students will have built by the end of the year. A good answer names specific projects per grade.
9. What is the cost model?
Costs vary widely, so compare like with like. Ask whether pricing is per student, per section or per school; whether kits are included or separate; whether there are one-time lab setup costs; and what is charged for events or competitions. Get it in writing.
10. Can you see a real class?
A demo class in front of your own students tells you more than any brochure. Watch whether students are building or watching, whether the trainer manages the room well, and whether students can explain what they made.
Comparison checklist
| Question | What a good answer looks like | Provider A | Provider B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teaching | Trained trainer in class every week | ||
| Curriculum | Written course per grade with projects | ||
| Devices | Works without a laptop per student | ||
| Board fit | Mapping to your board and skill subjects | ||
| Kits | Kit list per grade; ownership in writing | ||
| Safety | Written policy incl. drones and soldering | ||
| Trainers | Qualifications, training, background checks | ||
| Assessment | Project-based, reported to the school | ||
| Cost | Clear model, quoted in writing | ||
| Demo | Live class with your students |
Print this table and fill in one column per provider you speak to.
How GNR Robotics answers these questions
GNR Robotics, a program of SRS EduTech in Bengaluru, runs 26 in-person classes a year taught by trained, qualified mentors, across four grade bands from Grade 1 to Grade 12. Students get hands-on kits, project workbooks and LMS access, and the curriculum is built for classrooms without individual laptops. Our school proposal maps Grades VI–XII to CBSE skill subjects and includes a Composite Skill Lab framework. See how a partnership works, the FAQ, or book a demo class.
Sources and notes
- National Education Policy 2020, Ministry of Education, Government of India: education.gov.in.
- CBSE skill education and Composite Skill Lab guidance: cbseacademic.nic.in.
- This checklist reflects the questions school leaders ask us during partnership discussions. It is general guidance, not a ranking of providers.