Dubai teen STEM education initiative UniAbilities has reached around 8,750 underprivileged children in Bihar, with 17-year-old Dhruv Sharma now targeting 14,000 students.
DUBAI: For 17-year-old Dhruv Sharma, Independence Day is not only about celebrating India from Dubai. It is also about giving something back to the country he calls home. Through his Dubai teen STEM education initiative, the Year 12 student at Dubai College has helped around 8,750 underprivileged children in Bihar gain access to computers, coding and technology skills.
Dhruv founded UniAbilities after recognising how dramatically access to education can shape a child’s future. His motivation can be traced to a 2019 visit to India, when he noticed that children from families around his home were missing school because of financial pressures and limited awareness about education. That experience stayed with him.
“What started as a simple question about how I could share the opportunities I have had access to with children in India has now grown into something much bigger,” Dhruv said.
What began from Dubai has increasingly taken Dhruv back to Bihar itself. “I now keep visiting Bihar because being there on the ground gives me a completely different understanding of what students and trainers actually need. I meet them, see their progress first-hand and get regular updates about what is working and where we need to improve,” he said.
His connection with Bihar also carries a family legacy. Dhruv credits his grandfather, Ram Kumar Sharma, with encouraging the family to serve communities and particularly support people in Bihar.
Today, UniAbilities works with schools, NGOs and educators and has established a computer laboratory with 20 computers in Samastipur. Students receive practical training in basic computing, MS Office, internet research, digital communication and accessing online government services.
Dhruv has also trained approximately 32 local trainers through a “Train the Trainer” model. Despite his studies in Dubai, he conducts online sessions at weekends, monitors progress and adapts lessons for rural students who may be touching a computer for the first time.
The impact is being noticed on the ground. In an appreciation letter dated August 7, 2026, New Era Public School in Munger recognised Dhruv’s contribution to education and technology over more than five years.
“We believe the true testimony of your contribution will ultimately be reflected in the confidence, aspirations, achievements and future opportunities of the students you have inspired,” the school said.
The Dubai teen STEM education programme is now moving beyond computer literacy into coding, Python and artificial intelligence, with Dhruv helping introduce students and educators to future-ready technology learning.
His ambition is to reach more than 14,000 students this year, but he says numbers alone cannot define the mission.
“The real measure of success is whether a child who has never used a computer begins to see technology as something they can understand, create with and use to shape their future.”
On Independence Day, his journey carries a message that reaches beyond borders. Giving back to the motherland does not always require a grand gesture. Sometimes it starts with one computer, one classroom and one young person deciding to share the opportunities he received.
Impact to expect
The Dubai teen STEM education model could help narrow the digital learning gap for children in underserved Indian communities while developing local trainers who can continue sharing those skills independently.
