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Over 1k science centres to guide schoolchildren

Nimish Sawant | TNN

Mumbai: The National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), which looks after all the national science centres across the country, plans to come up with over 1,000 School Science Centres (SSC) in the next five years to nurture scientifically talented students. The existing science centres across the country will act as an umbrella organisation for the individual school science centres.

NCSM is looking at close to 50 schools in and around Mumbai to set up these centres. “We will choose schools which are located far away from the Nehru Science Centre,’’ said G Rautela, director, NCSM.

The director said many students disliked science because of the teaching methods which made the subject very boring. “So, this initiative is targeted at teachers as well as students,’’ he said. “The teachers will undergo professional mentoring by scientists who will show them how to use the latest teaching aids and educational software.’’

The school science centres will be provided with scientific resource materials like books, educational software and raw material for experiments, keeping in mind the interactivity factor of the learning instruments. “The NCSM has 27 science centres across India so far and plans to expand in the near future. Moreover, we have 22 mobile units which disseminate knowledge of science to students from rural areas,’’ said Rautela.

Scientifically gifted students can look forward to more hands-on experience outside the classroom which will include practicals, model-making, industrial visits, and addresses by eminent scientists, among other things. Prof G Padmanabhan, a vaccinologist and the chairman of NCSM, said, “We will keep a database of gifted students and follow their career paths closely after school.’’ Rautela said the students chosen by the school science centres would get an opportunity to work at the grass-roots level and help the community in solving its problems.