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This November, TUMO will open its first South Asian center in Mumbai. The new center, launched in partnership with the Shantilal Shanghvi Foundation, will be housed in Shikha Academy’s brand-new building, one of the country’s most forward-thinking educational institutions. TUMO Mumbai will provide free education in technology and design to up to 1,800 teenagers each week.
“I have no doubt that TUMO can be life-changing for teenagers in India. But this is also a huge learning opportunity for us. The population density, the socio-economic mix, the degree of mobile penetration, and a unique emphasis on national excellence in AI… These are all things we look forward to experiencing and learning from in India,” said TUMO CEO Marie Lou Papazian.
The building of Shikha Academy in Mumbai
TUMO’s innovative education model combines self-learning with hands-on workshops and learning labs, allowing students to personalize their learning paths and collaborate with industry professionals. In addition to gaining technical knowledge, students also develop the soft skills they need for future success. These qualities are what make TUMO’s model attractive to communities worldwide.
“At Shikha, we’ve always believed that world-class education shouldn’t be limited to the privileged. Partnering with TUMO allows us to broaden our scope with cutting-edge learning in creative technologies, AI, and design for students who might not otherwise have access to such resources,” said Karishma Shanghvi, founder and director of Shikha Academy.
Prior to the launch of TUMO Mumbai, Pegor Papazian, TUMO’s Chief Development Officer, and Tom Auger, Senior Software Engineer, teamed up with Shikha Academy to pilot TUMO’s new generative AI workshop for teens from some of Mumbai’s informal settlements. Students explored the potential of multimodal AI through code generation, configuring AI agents, coding interactive websites, and creating visuals and songs.
Pegor Papazian, TUMO’s Chief Development Officer in Mumbai
“At TUMO, we believe education is about more than just learning how to use tools,” said Pegor Papazian. “It’s about giving young people the confidence to take ownership of their learning process, see themselves as creators, and shape how technologies like AI will evolve and how they will fit into their lives.”
Artificial intelligence also took center stage at the ai/teens worldwide conference organized by TUMO this March. During the conference, participants, including future staff and students of the Mumbai Center, joined live with TUMO Centers operating and opening in cities around the world to discuss the relationship between artificial intelligence and education.
Just a few months later, Mumbai is becoming part of the global TUMO network, strengthening ties between Armenia and India and bringing the two countries together around shared goals of innovation, digital literacy, and youth empowerment.
India joins a growing list of countries on TUMO’s international map, including Argentina, France, Portugal, Germany, Albania, and Japan, with upcoming centers in Uruguay, the United States, the Netherlands, Georgia, and Kazakhstan.
International expansion makes it possible to position Armenia as a leading country in developing innovative educational products, to continuously improve the educational model, and to ensure the financial sustainability of TUMO Centers and Boxes in Armenia.
About TUMO
The TUMO Center for Creative Technologies is an after-school educational program that gives teenagers free access to learning in technology and design. Founded in Armenia and now expanding internationally, TUMO combines self-learning with hands-on workshops and learning labs to prepare young people for the challenges of a rapidly changing world.