CHENNAI: For children of PJ Gupta High School, a government-aided school in Ambattur, January 26 was not just about celebrating Republic Day. The Atal Tinkering Lab, an approach by the central government to create scientific temperament and innovation among students, was inaugurated at the school by V Alexander, Member of the Legislative Assembly, Ambattur constituency, on Sunday.
“We want children to aspire and have exposure to state-of-the-art facilities on par with students from top schools in the city. This lab will give them the space to innovate and grow,” said Ashish Gupta, school correspondent.
"It is a step towards building a better future for our youth. It is a hands-on methodology, the need of the hour," he said adding that the lab would teach the students essential 21st-century skills which will help them in developing professional and personal skills. The lab has been set up at a cost of Rs 10 lakh and maintenance of Rs 2 lakh will be provided to the school annually.
The Centrally-funded ATL is an initiative by the Niti Aayog to cultivate scientific temper among middle school students by motivating them to understand and innovate in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). The lab will come up in of 1500 sq mts and will have 3D Printers, robotic equipment, computers and other state-of-the-art technologies.
The criteria for setting up a lab is that a school must have 250 students studying science and out of that 50 per cent must be girls. PJ Gupta’s High school, in Ambattur was started in 1936. The school has been providing free and affordable education to underprivileged children in and around Ambattur for 83 years. It has a strength of 600 students.