As many as hundred students from rural areas studying Class X in government schools will go through an outreach programme at IIT-Madras for six days to kindle their interest and give them a hands-on exposure in practical learning.
The Summer Programme on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), which was inaugurated on Monday, would be a residential summer program held from June 20 to 25, covering environment and electronics aspects in engineering, technological growth in renewable energies and applied mathematics. The students will be taught in both English and Tamil.
The students, 50 boys and 50 girls, from districts including Ariyalur, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri, Kallakurichi, Krishnagiri, Perambalur, Salem, Tiruchirapalli, Tiruvannamalai and Villupuram, will be given specially developed kits that will allow them to perform more than 100 electronic experiments. While 70% of the programme is practical, the rest comprises of lectures by industry and academic experts.
At the inauguration of the event at IIT-Madras Research Park, Minister for School Education Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi said such an initiative would push students to turn into job creators instead of job seekers, and this programme would certainly better learning outcomes. “Even if one child from this programme goes onto enter and graduate from IIT-Madras, it will give us a great sense of satisfaction and pride,” he said.
Students will also study the issue of copyrights, and it may help the State become a leader in filing copyrights in the country, Mr. Poyyamozhi added.
V. Kamakoti, director of IIT-Madras, said the STEM program would serve as a milestone for the participants’ higher education. “Students learn a lot of theory in school but practical lessons are very important. Using these kits, a student can learn and perform various experiments from any place. Our aim is to extend this programme to one lakh students,” he added.
