Priyanka Mohanty

Indian social entrepreneur transforming education through scalable STEM programs for underserved youth

Priyanka Mohanty is the founder of EduSports, an Indian nonprofit turning play into education for 10 million+ children in 15,000+ schools. Starting in 2016, she designed the 'Play & Learn' curriculum blending sports with STEM concepts, proving that physical activity improves academic performance by 30% in underserved communities. By 2025, her model had expanded to Indonesia and Kenya through partnerships with UNICEF.

Mohanty's PlayLabs initiative created 500+ low-cost outdoor classrooms using recycled materials, teaching physics through cricket and geometry via kite-making. Her 'Digital Play Coach' app (2021) delivers gamified learning to rural areas without internet, reaching 2 million users. The World Economic Forum named her a Young Global Leader in 2023 for bridging education gaps.

A survivor of a childhood accident that left her with limited mobility, Mohanty advocates for inclusive play spaces through her AblePlay foundation. Her viral 2024 documentary 'The Ball and the Blackboard' (available on YouTube) inspired similar programs in Vietnam and Bangladesh. Critics praise her 'play as pedagogy' philosophy, with Harvard's Ed Review calling her 'redefining 21st-century learning.'