Reality TV show on engineering education

Thinking further about the idea of a reality TV show for school teachers in India, I stumbled on Design Kids, a very interesting reality TV show on PBS in the United States, to promote engineering concepts to school children in the age-group of 9-12 years. It would be great to have something like this in India to promote Science and Engineering to children at an early enough stage to impress upon them the joy and excitement of science and engineering.

Here's how Design Squad, now into their third season, describe themselves,

Design Squad is high-energy, high-drama reality TV that lets kids show off their smarts as they design and build working solutions for real-world clients-people who are hungry for clever ideas from a new generation of innovators. From creating remote-controlled flying football targets for Hasbro to dry land dog sleds for the Jamaica Dog Sled Team, the action culminates in the final episode when the top two scorers battle for the Grand Prize: a $10,000 college scholarship from the Intel Foundation.

and their educational philosophy.

Design Squad is one of the few places on TV where kids can learn about engineering. The specific educational goals of the Design Squad television series, web site and outreach events are to:

• Increase students' knowledge of engineering and the design process
  Design Squad will be as hands-on as television can be. Viewers see Design Squad teams take raw materials and with very little adult intervention, transform them into workable solutions. The series presents kids using technology (such as computers, electronics, and machine tools) to do a wide range of activities that have a scale and complexity that will excite the viewing audience, and motivate them to do these activities on their own.
  
  
• Improve the public image of engineering
  Design Squad presents viewers with positive role models who experience engineering as a fun and engaging process.
  
  The image many still have of engineers is the outdated 'nerds with calculators and pocket protectors.' Design Squad goes a long way to address this. Our diverse cast of high school students are high-energy, smart, and approach the challenges they face with enthusiasm. And not a single one of them wears a pocket protector.
  
  
• Encourage further exploration
  Design Squad is more than just a television series.
  
  The Design Squad Web site extends the concepts presented on the show and provides viewers with an opportunity to explore content through the lens of "engineering as problem-solving using science, math, and technology."
  
  Engineers and educators have partnered with Design Squad to help support kids as they try out the ideas first-hand. These real world experiences give kids a stronger understanding of engineering, equip them with science and math skills, and ultimately lay the foundation they need to participate in engineering activities later in life.

Their list of funders and sponsors include the Government, Foundations, Corporations and the Professional Engineering Associations.

Major funding for Design Squad is provided by the National Science Foundation, the Intel Foundation, and the Lemelson Foundation. Additional funding is provided by Noyce Foundation, United Engineering Foundation (ASCE, ASME, AIChE, IEEE, AIME), National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying, ASME, the IEEE, Northrop Grumman, and the Intel Corporation.

DST / CSIR, the Indian Academy of Sciences, the Indian National Science Academy, the Indian National Academy of Engineering and other professional associations, foundations and companies should be funding something like this here in India.