To brighten children’s practical application of lessons through Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programmes, the School Education Department began the process to form Vanavil Mandram for Class VI-VIII government school students in the Coimbatore district from Monday.
These STEM clubs, under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, will be set up in 482 government schools - 232 middle, 83 high and 113 higher secondary schools, according to the Department.
In total, the district had received about ₹ 5,15,000 as fund from the State to buy materials for the experiments - ₹ 1,200 per school, Chief Education Officer R. Boopathy said.
A total of 21 STEM ambassadors aka volunteers have been appointed for the 12 blocks of the district. STEM Programme State Expert Committee Member K. Lenin Bharathi said Sulur, Anamalai, Periyanaikenpalayam and Karamadai had been allocated two volunteers, and the remaining places would have one each, but this may change according to requirements.
He said the ambassadors would conduct the programmes in one school each day in their assigned blocks for six months as a trial run.
Not all teachers might have the skill and training to teach the children such experiments and they would have to concentrate on regular classes as well. Hence, the ambassadors would hold regular sessions, he said.
Mr. Bharathi said as the next step, around 6,000 interested science and mathematics school teachers from across Tamil Nadu would be added to a group on a messaging app, so that they could pitch fresh ideas for improvement.
