In a bid to encourage scientific thinking and increase interest in science and mathematics among students, government schools across the State will form ‘Vanavil Mandrams’ with a focus on STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) education from Monday.
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The School Education Department, in a circular said that all 13,210 government middle, high, and higher secondary schools would initiate the forming of these STEM clubs from 2 p.m. for students of classes 6 to 8.
Around 12,000 teachers have expressed interest in this initiative and have come forth to share topics that are relatively hard for students to follow in class, and how they can be made more interesting and engaging with the help of simple experiments. The education department said that subject experts were roped in as well and their recommendations were considered.
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“To mark the beginning of this initiative on Monday, teachers can demonstrate some simple experiments in class. Every school has been allocated ₹1,200 initially to buy materials for these experiments,” the department said.
Schools have been encouraged to ensure that these experiments are demonstrated in classrooms, and are based on the lessons students have in their syllabus. The circular further said that students would be encouraged to ask questions as well as participate in discussions about STEM learning.
Apart from this, schools are also expected to facilitate visits by STEM experts to the campus to interact with students, and organise exposure visits for students.