Students of government schools in Kozhikode city will soon have something even their counterparts in most private schools do not have .
They will soon get to play with a real astronomical telescope in the schools that will enable them to know the sky and beyond much better.
The telescopes are being installed in 30 schools in the Kozhikode Corporation limits as part of its project titled ‘Vana Nireekshanam’.
Project of CorporationIt is a project envisioned by the Education Standing Committee of the Corporation with technical support from the Regional Science Centre and Planetarium, Kozhikode.
The telescopes cost around Rs.50,000 each, and the specifications were provided by the Regional Science Centre.
“We had requested the RSC for some help a few years ago as part of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan project. It got delayed. Now the specification has been upgraded with advanced facilities to be set up in the schools,” said Education Standing Committee Chairperson of the Corporation P. Usha Devi.
The Corporation had initially set aside Rs.10 lakh for the project.
The plan was to set up the telescopes in 20 schools. However, the Education standing committee is keen on bringing in an amendment by which it could get an additional fund of Rs.5 lakh so that 10 more schools could be included.
High schoolsThe telescopes will mostly be set up in high schools though some UP schools with good strength are also under consideration.
The Physics teachers of the schools will be in charge of helping the students use the telescope.
They will be trained to handle the equipment with the help of the RSC. The facility would be made available in other schools in the Corporation next years, Usha Devi said.
The Corporation plans to implement the project within one month.
