A NEWCASTLE professor has won a million-dollar prize for inspirational thinking which has transformed education in the developing world - and inspired an Oscar-winning film.

Prof Sugata Mitra follows in the footsteps of rock superstar Bono, former American president Bill Clinton and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver in winning the 2013 TED prize, awarded by a not-for-profit organisation rewarding great thinkers.

Prof Mitra’s research looking at how children living on the streets of India can teach themselves inspired the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire.

The professor, who specialises in educational technology at Newcastle University, has been awarded the prestigious prize with his research started in 1999 which saw him and his team install a computer in a New Delhi slum.

When they returned, they found children had taught themselves how to use the computer and learn. The experiment inspired the film Slumdog Millionaire directed by Danny Boyle.

Prof Chris Brink, vice-chancellor at Newcastle University, said: “This is a tremendous honour for Sugata.

“He has dedicated over 20 years of his research career into improving the lives and opportunities of some of the world’s poorest people through his innovations in computing. He was the instigator of the Hole in the Wall experiments. The experiment has since been repeated at many places and has left a mark on popular culture.

“Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup read about Sugata’s experiment and was inspired to write his debut novel that went on to become the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire. Newcastle University has a strong track in the field of education research and this TED Prize will enable us to further that with the support of a global community.”

On receiving the accolade, the money from which will go towards creating his self-organised teaching vision for children, Prof Mitra said: “I learned that groups of children can complete educational objectives by themselves, using the internet, if you leave them alone.

“By 2009, thanks to advances in technology, it was possible to ‘beam’ teachers to places where they could not, or did not want, to go, and so I created a ‘granny cloud’ of retired school teachers who would encourage children to learn by themselves.

“By 2012, teachers around the world were using SOLEs – self-organised learning environments – where children would group around internet connections to discuss Big Questions. The teacher would merge into the background, and watch as the learning happened.”

Previous winners of the TED prize include Jamie Oliver with his wish to set up an organisation and create a popular movement inspiring people to change the way they eat and U2 frontman Bono in 2005 who wanted to engage millions around the world to take action in the fight against the absurdity of extreme poverty.

In 2007 former president Bill Clinton was handed the TED award for his wish to develop programs to construct health care facilities and encourage economic growth throughout rural Rwanda.

In winning the award at a conference this week in California, Prof Mitra becomes the recipient of TED’s first million dollar prize fund in its eighth-year history.

James Tooley, professor of education policy at Newcastle University, added: “With this richly-deserved prize, Sugata can realise his remarkable vision of self-organised learning, to transform opportunities for millions of poor children across the world.”

An award of $125,000 has been made available by the Sundance Institute to fund a short documentary about Prof Mitra and his School in the Cloud vision.

To find out more about Prof Mitra’s research, visit www.ted.com/pages/prizewinner_sugata_mitra