The Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATL), which aims at encouraging innovation among students, was inaugurated at Volakadu Government Composite High School on Friday.
These labs, being promoted under the Atal Innovation Mission by the Union government, aims at “cultivating one million children in the country as neoteric innovators. The ATL provides work space where young minds could shape their ideas through hands on do-it-yourself mode; and learn innovation skills”. They get a chance to work with tools and equipment to understand the concepts of science, technology, engineering, and maths.
Nirmala B., headmistress of the school, said Volakadu School was the only one in the three coastal districts to be selected and provided with ATL. It was among the 15 schools in the State chosen by the mission.
The government had provided ₹10 lakh under the scheme. Of this amount, the school had spent ₹7 lakh for the labs, including ₹5 lakh on purchasing various lab equipment. While ₹2 lakh was spent on a hall for this purpose. The government would be providing ₹2 lakh for maintenance grants for next five years, she said.
The students of the school were excited at the prospect of using the various scientific equipments at the labs. Pallavi, a student of class eight, said she was proud that her school had been provided with the labs. Ramya, a class nine student, explained the working of a 3D printer at the labs.
Pramod Madhwaraj, Minister for Fisheries, Youth Empowerment and Sports, who inaugurated the ATL, urged the teachers of the school to give full freedom to the students to work in the labs.
