David Chipperfield
2023 Pritzker Prize Laureate | Founder, David Chipperfield Architects | Architecture, Cities & Civic Design
Sugata Mitra
TED Prize Winner | Creator of the Hole in the Wall & SOLE | Pioneer of Self-Organised Learning | Professor Emeritus, NIIT University
Sugata Mitra proved that children can teach themselves almost anything — with a hole in a wall, a computer, and the freedom to be curious. TED Prize winner, creator of the SOLE methodology, and one of the world's most original thinkers on learning, he challenges audiences to reimagine education, talent, and human potential at a moment when AI is making those questions impossible to ignore.
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Sugata Mitra biography
Sugata Mitra is the education researcher who changed how the world thinks about learning. A physicist by training and an innovator by instinct, he spent decades bridging cognitive science, educational technology, and human curiosity — and in doing so, produced one of the most celebrated experiments in the history of education. Today he is Professor Emeritus at NIIT University, India, formerly Professor of Educational Technology at Newcastle University, UK, and Visiting Professor at the MIT Media Lab.
Education speaker Sugata Mitra is best known for the Hole in the Wall experiment, launched in 1999 when he and his colleagues embedded an internet-connected computer in a wall bordering a slum in New Delhi and left it for local children to discover. With no instructions, no teacher, and no guidance, the children taught themselves — and each other — how to use it within hours. The experiment, replicated across India and beyond with consistently remarkable results, introduced the concept of Minimally Invasive Education and demonstrated that children are innately capable of self-directed learning when given access, freedom, and a reason to be curious. The story inspired Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup to write the novel that became the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire.
Building on these findings, Mitra developed the Self-Organised Learning Environment (SOLE) — a structured approach in which small groups of children collaborate around big questions using internet access, with minimal adult intervention. SOLEs are now used in schools and learning programs worldwide. In 2009, he created the Granny Cloud, a global network of volunteer mediators — predominantly retired teachers — who connect with children in remote areas via video, providing encouragement and stimulus without formal instruction. In 2013, Mitra won the inaugural $1 million TED Prize, using the award to establish the School in the Cloud: a network of physical learning labs across India and the UK, and an online platform that has supported over 16,000 SOLE sessions worldwide. He received the Brock Prize in 2022, and published continued research on the School in the Cloud’s results and sustainable model in 2025.
Education in the Age of Generative AI
Mitra’s ideas have never been more relevant. As generative AI reshapes what knowledge means, how information is accessed, and what skills actually matter, his decades-long argument — that rote memorization is obsolete and that learning to learn is everything — has moved from provocative to urgent. He has been actively exploring the implications of generative AI for self-organised learning, speaking at Bett Asia and other global education forums on how tools like large language models are accelerating and validating the SOLE model. His work, which has contributed to the education and development of over a million young people — among them some of the world’s most disadvantaged children — has earned him more than 25 inventions in cognitive science and educational technology, and international awards from India, the UK, the United States, and beyond.
As a speaker, Sugata Mitra is one of the most thought-provoking voices on any stage. He does not simply describe the future of education — he challenges audiences to question the very assumptions on which modern schooling was built, and offers a vision of learning that is more human, more equitable, and more aligned with how curiosity actually works. Leaders in education, technology, HR, and corporate learning book him to spark fundamental conversations about how people learn, how organizations should develop talent, and what the arrival of AI means for the skills that truly matter.
Sugata Mitra Speaking Videos
Sugata Mitra - The Future of Learning
Sugata Mitra - Build a School in the Cloud
Sugata Mitra Keynote Topics
In this landmark talk, Mitra recounts the experiment that changed how the world thinks about learning — and draws out its deepest implications for education, leadership, and human development. When children in a Delhi slum taught themselves to use a computer with no instruction, no teacher, and no guidance, they didn't just reveal something about technology. They revealed something fundamental about human curiosity. Mitra walks audiences through the original experiment, its replications across the globe, and what two decades of follow-on research have confirmed: that given the right environment, people of any age are capable of far more than formal systems typically allow.
This keynote goes beyond the theory and into the methodology that schools, universities, and organizations around the world are now adopting. Mitra explains how Self-Organised Learning Environments work, why they produce results that surprise even seasoned educators, and how the principles behind them apply far beyond the classroom — to onboarding, corporate learning, leadership development, and team performance. Audiences leave with a practical framework for designing learning experiences that build genuine capability rather than surface compliance.
For decades, Mitra argued that memorizing facts is the wrong goal for education — that learning to learn matters infinitely more. Generative AI has made that argument impossible to dismiss. In this forward-looking keynote, Mitra explores what the arrival of AI means for schools, universities, and organizations: which skills become redundant, which become critical, and how the SOLE model he pioneered turns out to be precisely the kind of learning environment the AI age demands. A provocation and a roadmap for leaders grappling with the most consequential shift in how knowledge works since the printing press.
Mitra's $1 million TED Prize wish was to build a School in the Cloud — a place where children anywhere in the world could tap into the collective knowledge of humanity and learn from each other. In this keynote, he shares what that vision has become: a global network of learning labs, a community of volunteer mediators, and over 16,000 SOLE sessions involving children from some of the world's most underserved communities. Beyond the inspiring story, he draws out the strategic lessons for any organization asking how to build learning cultures that are genuinely inclusive, scalable, and fit for an uncertain future.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Sugata Mitra
Why Sugata Mitra?
Booking Sugata Mitra as a keynote speaker means bringing one of the most original thinkers in education to your stage — someone whose ideas have not just influenced policy, but fundamentally shifted how millions of people understand learning itself. He is not a theorist extrapolating from data; he is a hands-on experimenter whose results have been replicated across continents and validated over 25 years. In an era when AI is forcing every organization to rethink how people learn, develop skills, and create value, Mitra's frameworks are more strategically relevant than ever. He speaks to audiences in education, technology, HR, and corporate leadership with equal impact, leaving them with a genuinely new way of thinking about human potential. Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you secure Sugata Mitra for your next event.
What was Sugata Mitra's Hole in the Wall experiment?
In 1999, Sugata Mitra and his colleagues embedded an internet-connected computer in a wall bordering a slum in New Delhi and left it there, with a hidden camera recording what happened. Within hours, children with no prior computer experience had figured out how to use it — and began teaching each other. The experiment demonstrated that self-directed, collaborative learning can emerge spontaneously when children are given access to technology and the freedom to explore. Mitra called this Minimally Invasive Education. The experiment was replicated across rural and urban India and in other countries with consistent results, and its story inspired the novel and Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire.
What is a SOLE and how is it used?
A Self-Organised Learning Environment, or SOLE, is an educational approach developed by Sugata Mitra in which small groups of children — typically three or four — are given a big, open-ended question and free access to the internet, then left to explore and discuss without formal instruction. The role of any adult present is to show interest and encouragement, not to teach. SOLEs have been implemented in schools, learning labs, and development programs across dozens of countries, and have consistently shown that children can engage with and understand content well beyond what traditional curricula would assign to their age group. The approach underpins Mitra's School in the Cloud initiative and is increasingly being explored alongside generative AI tools.
What topics does education speaker Sugata Mitra cover?
Sugata Mitra speaks on the future of education and the case for rethinking how schools work, self-organised learning and the SOLE methodology, the impact of generative AI on learning and what it means for educators, minimally invasive education and the science of curiosity-driven learning, the Granny Cloud and remote learning models, bridging educational inequality through technology, and the implications of his research for corporate learning and talent development. His talks are equally relevant for audiences in K-12 and higher education, technology, HR and L&D, and organizational leadership. Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you shape an engagement tailored to your event's goals.
How to book Sugata Mitra as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Sugata Mitra as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Sugata Mitra's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Sugata Mitra or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Sugata Mitra speaking fee?
Sugata Mitra speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Sugata Mitra to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Sugata Mitra.
How can I contact Sugata Mitra?
We only work with Sugata Mitra on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Sugata Mitra and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Sugata Mitra speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Sugata Mitra for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Sugata Mitra for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Sugata Mitra is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Sugata Mitra for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
