HYDERABAD: More and more students in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are graduating with the highest of ranks, but with the least or absolutely no skills.
While there have been programmes introduced over the past few years to tweak in small changes in the way children are taught, there is a lot more that needs to be done.
With a motive to induce an innovative eco-system in schools, encouraging middle and high school students to improve their creative skills and apply them in real life situation, a Hyderabad Science Festival is being conducted in the city.
As the event will be hosted towards the end of the year, organisers of Innovision Foundation are looking for mentors to train the students. A not-for-profit venture, the week-long event will see students executing ideas that they have explored during the training session that will go on from the month of August to the first-half of December.
“We have approached 20 schools as of now who are willing to participate. Students will be trained on three themes -- biodiversity, food and health, and renewable energy. However, the idea they execute at the festival can be based on any theme,” informed organiser Vinod Kumar.
The festival is open for students between the age groups of 10 and 21, but training sessions will be conducted only for middle and high school students.
“All schools, public, private and government, across all boards will be participating,” shared Vinod Kumar.
The schools will be paying a nominal cost and the festival will have more than 50 events across 12 different themes.
“The emphasis is on students making a real life connection and being able to bring solutions to real life problems,” he said. Though most school projects do have elements like these, most of the times, it is someone else’s idea that is executed. “This festival however will include activities like expert sessions, debates, discussions, role plays, exposure to case studies and the likes,” he informed further.
The organisers have associated themselves with experts and leaders in the field of science, helping them procure the required material for training.
“For instance, to align with the theme of bio diversity, we are teaming up with WWF Hyderabad. Through the training process also, students will be exposed to lectures, sessions and interactions with experts in the field,” he said.
With the festival, the organisers hope that the eco-system of making the right use of science and technology in a more experiential way, will make it applicable to real life situations. “The aim is to spread this message among the parent and teacher communities also,” he concluded.
Science graduates can contact Vinod Kumar 9866059459 before the end of June after which the candidates will be trained, who will in turn mentor once allotted a school for three hours during the weekends.