- Fifth season of IITGN’s flagship Curiosity Program empowers girls from underserved communities through hands-on STEM learning, leadership and scientific inquiry
- Student-led inaugural session marks a first as young innovators from Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Tripura inspire thousands through live experiments and peer learning
- Interactive programme nurtures confidence, creativity and critical thinking while opening pathways to higher education and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics
- IIT Gandhinagar and Samagra Shiksha deepen their mission of making quality STEM education accessible, inclusive and transformational for every aspiring girl learner
NE EDUCATION BUREAU
GANDHINAGAR, JULY 16
IIT Gandhinagar’s Centre for Creative Learning (CCL), in association with Samagra Shiksha, launched the 5th season of its biweekly online Curiosity Program on Tuesday, reaching more than 1.5 lakh girl students across 1,962 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) in eight states.
The new season started with the first of its kind initiative where eight students from KGBVs of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Tripura visited the campus of IIT Gandhinagar and conducted the inaugural online session themselves. The session began with a paper strip challenge and the students’ conducted experiments on the centre of mass of the human body and explained the scientific concepts to thousands of participants on Zoom and YouTube. This session was led by students for the first time and showed the programme’s focus on developing leadership and active participation among KGBV students. Many of the students came from underprivileged backgrounds and for some it was their first trip out of their hometown or on a train.
The Curiosity Program is a flagship STEM education programme for girls from educationally and socio-economically disadvantaged communities studying in Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs). The goal is to make math and science fun by linking concepts taught in the classroom to real-world applications through interactive online sessions and hands-on learning.
The program has contributed to enhancing the girls’ confidence, persistence in completing tasks, and interest in the subjects, while nurturing inquiry-based thinking and strengthening their identities as learners. It also helps students to apply classroom learning to real-life situations, while developing confidence and promoting independent thinking.
The impact of the programme is evident in the experiences shared by instructors and students from the participating KGBVs around the country.
“The sessions are highly awaited by the students. If we ever miss one, they remind us that it’s time for the class,” said Penina, a teacher at KGBV Damcherra, Tripura.
Asma Banu, a teacher at KGBV Bhatiya, Gujarat, said, “The education being given to these underprivileged girls is invaluable. The programme is very important for the underserved communities. Many of our students are orphans and some of them come from below-poverty-line families where there are often limited opportunities for experiential learning. The engaging and thoughtful manner in which they are taught is genuinely making a difference in their lives.”
Students have also begun applying what they learn in the classroom into practical successes.
Gulafsha Khatun, a Class IX student from KGBV Loni, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, gave her experience of how a session on centripetal force in a Curiosity Program motivated her to create a working model.
“We presented the model at the district-level competition, and it was selected. Everyone wanted to know where we had learned to make it, because there was nothing like it on the internet. “Then I discovered how important the ‘Curiosity Program’ is”, she remarked. Drawing on her own experience, Gufasha also penned a poem on the programme.
“It was a memorable experience to conduct the online session by ourselves. It was an opportunity to see how teachers set up and run classes and it boosted our confidence. Through IIT Gandhinagar and the students from different states that I met here, we got to know about different cultures and perspectives,” said Taniya, a student from KGBV Loni, Ghaziabad.
The programme has touched the lives of students across multiple states, including Gulafsha Khatun and Taniya from KGBV Loni, Ghaziabad (Classes IX and XI); Sakshi and Anashika from KGBV Kaudihar, Prayagraj (both Class IX); Priti and Dharmishtha from KGBV Bhatiya, Gujarat (Classes X and XI); and Hoini and Nadurung from KGBV Damcherra, Tripura (both Class X). The Curiosity Program provides quality STEM education for girls who have historically had limited access and helping to create an inclusive learning ecosystem that empowers students with knowledge, confidence and aspirations for higher education and future careers in science and technology.
