Meu Labs launches operations to revolutionise conventional education in Sri Lanka

For decades, the education ecosystem of Sri Lanka has been in desperate need of reform. Though there have been several discussions about rethinking education and the way students are taught, only a few initiatives have taken place in that direction. 

Even today, the Sri Lankan education system encourages and emphasises memorisation and replication of existing knowledge rather than encouraging students to ‘think’. Students are subjected to intense competition from a very young age, because of the nature of examination-based evaluations, resulting in a stressful learning environment.

Meu Labs has made a significant contribution to the development of next-generation problem solvers and creative thinkers by introducing project-based learning concepts as an adjunct to Sri Lanka’s existing education system. Meu Labs is an open ecosystem where grades and traditional classes don’t exist, and the focus is on embracing learning through enjoyment.

The inspiration for Meu Labs comes from a curriculum built for tomorrow, from global education revolutionaries such as Elon Musk. Musk’s school called Ad Astra, has no language, music, or sports lessons, and instead encourages students to work on complex projects, such as building battling robots, discussing nuclear politics, and planning how to defeat evil AIs! This is music to any intellectually curious young mind and definitely better than digital screens!

An overarching theme in our programs is enjoyment and engagement. Students are rarely seen reading textbooks or memorising facts and figures while the majority of conversations are carried out amongst the students themselves. There are no exams and no grades, students are only given feedback by our instructors who serve as guides or facilitators. This enables students to quickly learn to evaluate their efforts based on their contribution and the end result.

Meu Labs sessions are designed to guide students in achieving collectively as a team, with projects lasting anywhere from a few hours to several months. These lessons are based on the results of a one-year experimental pilot program and the guidance of global education experts partnered with Meu Labs. 

Each Meu Labs session is designed and developed with a specific educational goal in mind. It is assured that while your child is having fun in an engaging and stimulating environment, he or she will take home tangible skills geared for your child’s development and future while bridging the education real world disconnect. Examples of the sessions include a day as the CEO of a tea production facility overseeing the plucking, processing, packaging, and auctioning of tea at a simulated market environment. The session exposes your child to planning production and market uncertainty. 

Similarly, on another day they may lead a global art gallery exhibition. They would need to set up shop in various countries around the world in a simulated art exhibition environment looking to attract the visitors and art enthusiasts. The experience involves exposing the child to marketing, branding, and pricing. The possibilities for learning are limitless! 

Meu Labs’ vision is to ‘shape tomorrow’s Problem Solvers and Creative Thinkers’. They believe the best way to achieve this is by building a learning environment that is designed around the specific needs of the future, while trial and error is fundamental to learning and non-judgement. Whether it’s to become the next Elon Musk, Pablo Picasso, or Nelson Mandela, the students need to carve out their own unique path in this world. The goal of the Meu Labs program is to enable a child to ask questions, be curious, think for themselves and show them that the path you carve for yourself is full of limitless possibilities! The greatest lesson they will learn is that you will only get anywhere by just trying, by just crawling, by just doing it.

If you are interested in learning more about Meu Labs, visit them at www.meulabs.org.