STEM labs to develop culture of innovation in Jharkhand govt schools – Education Today News
The Jharkhand government is set to achieve excellence in quality education, and now it envisages going beyond the traditional ways of education. It has decided to launch an initiative to transform government schools into model schools with the development of STEM labs in Jharkhand.
STEM refers to the field of study in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. STEM labs’ biggest advantage is that it aims to increase competitiveness through a practical approach in the educational institute.
The government as a pilot would install STEM labs in 5 blocks in Ranchi. Focusing on students who have a knack for math, science, and technology-related subjects, the labs will help impart students with practical learning and problem-solving ability based on the theories taught in regular classes.
Major underlying issues prevalent in government schools include student attendance and overall learning outcomes. The government believes that such a project will help in terms of value addition and in creating an interactive atmosphere for students.
STEM labs to be open to all govt school students
The project is being implemented through the innovation fund of the state government and has been adopted in the Ranchi district. According to an administration official, the labs will be open to students from all the government schools in the respective block. After evaluating the impact of this project, similar labs will be set up in all the blocks.
In many developed countries and developing countries around the world, STEM labs have become a norm. However, it is yet to become a regular practice in Indian schools.
STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines i.e., Science &Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics through an interdisciplinary and applied approach. Rather than teaching the four disciplines as a separate module, STEM integrates them into a cohesive learning paradigm based on real-world applications.
Traditional education pedagogy in India is still focused on Books and Numbers while very little importance is given to the practical implementation of these theories. This scenario changes with STEM education. The labs will give students the space to think freely and create something on their own.
STEM labs equipped with different exhibits
For the children of Jharkhand to have an access to the international standard of education and become innovative, the government is taking a step towards providing applied learning space in government schools.
The lab is equipped with different exhibits related to the subject module taught in the curriculum of the schools, such as Pinhole Camera, LED-based heart, Eye Model, Ear Model, Infinity Wall, Sound in different mediums, Layer of Soils, Solar System, Hand Pump, Solar Power System, Hydro Turbine, etc.
Some other exhibits in the labs are Motor model, Sensor Setup, Telescope, Generator, Skeleton System, Newton’s law of motion set up, Biodiversity set up, Different types of robots, Projector, Tab, Interactive Computing device, etc.