The Cambridge Section at CMS Rajajipuram Campus I Honoured with the International Sustainability Award in the Ciena Solutions Challenge 2024–25
We are delighted to announce that the Cambridge Section of City Montessori School, Rajajipuram Campus I, has earned outstanding global recognition by securing the prestigious Sustainability Award and a USD 3,000 grant in the world-renowned Ciena Solutions Challenge 2024–25, organised by Ciena in collaboration with Digital Promise. The grant will support further prototype refinement, pilot-level trials and extended outreach to ensure that more communities in need can benefit from the innovation.
The recognition was conferred for the remarkable student-driven initiative, “Empowering Vision: Touching Lives”, which focuses on designing a low-cost Braille tablet that enables visually impaired individuals to access printed as well as digital content independently. The innovation aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10 – Reduced Inequalities and addresses a pressing global concern with a practical, affordable and scalable technology solution.
Rooted in empathy and driven by a deep sense of social responsibility, the project champions accessibility, equity and inclusion, particularly for underserved and off-grid communities with limited access to assistive technology. The initiative was conceptualised and executed by student innovators Aarush Mishra and Musharraf Ali, under the purposeful guidance of Ms Shweta Awasthi, Environment Coordinator, whose leadership played a vital role throughout the journey. Technical mentorship was provided by Mr Saurabh Biswas, strengthening the accuracy and engineering quality of the prototype.
About the Ciena Solutions Challenge
The Ciena Solutions Challenge is an esteemed international, design-thinking-based platform that invites STEM-driven, student-led projects aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Participants identify real-world problems within their communities and develop innovative, sustainable and impactful solutions to address them.
This year’s challenge witnessed 138 inspiring projects from 94 countries. Out of these, only two innovations from India received global recognition: one from Gandhi High Vidyalaya, Purulia (West Bengal), and the other from City Montessori School, Rajajipuram Campus I, Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh).
A Proud Moment for CMS and India
This global distinction places CMS Rajajipuram Campus I firmly on the international map of educational innovation and sustainability-centred technology development. It celebrates the extraordinary potential of youth-led solutions, compassionate leadership and transformative learning: values that lie at the heart of CMS education.
The achievement reinforces our belief that when students are encouraged to think critically, empathise deeply, and solve meaningfully, they evolve into global changemakers and responsible stewards of humanity and the planet.