Kerala schools to put science and technology before IT & BT

When the world is taking a fancy for IT and biotechnology, government schools in Kerala are singing a different beat, ‘hail S &T (science and techno-logy)’. Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Envi-ronment (KSCSTE) is the agency spearheading the ambitious ‘Sastraposhini’ scheme that aims to inculcate the lost interest in Physics, Chemistry and Biology among high school students through hands-on learning.

The existing labs in government schools would be modernized within the next two academic years, informed Director of KSCSTE KRS Krishnan. Under the scheme, assisted by State Education Department during the next two academic years one school each in 36 educational districts in Kerala would be having well-equipped science laboratories. The labs themselves will sport a new look of green and yellow. 

In many schools, the stu-dents are not encouraged to handle experiments indepen-dently as the teachers fear that instruments and equipment may be damaged or chemicals spilled over accidentally. How-ever, the new project envisages providing freedom to students to conduct experiments. Sepa-rate study circles would be deve-loped among students to engage in problem solving and critical discussion. The exercise will ultimately develop a new trend of students opting for a career in science, Krishnan opined.

“About 60 teachers have been trained at Cochin Univer-sity of Science and Technology (CUSAT) by eminent scholars with the objective of evolving methodologies for making science teaching interactive and interesting for students. The cost involved in moderni-zing the science labs is Rs 3 lakh per school,” Krishnan said. According to Krishnan, “IT and BT has its own place in industry and academic world but it cannot flourish without a sound S&T base.”

Eminent cardiac surgeon and former Director of Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology Dr MS Valiathan, leads KSCSTE as its Executive VP. The council has several programs for populari-zation of S&T to its credit. 


Noteworthy among them being the augmentation of R&D in Universities where it would fund innovative research projects for upto Rs 30 lakh for a period of three years.

Cyber News Service