BHUBANESWAR: After transforming thousands of high schools under its ambitious ‘5T initiative’, the Odisha government has now initiated work on setting up state-of-the-art robotic laboratories in these schools to equip young minds with skills required for navigating through the challenges of a rapidly evolving technological landscape.
The new initiative, according to the School and Mass Education (SME) department, will provide students with exposure to cutting-edge technology, fostering innovation and preparing them for the demands of the 21st-century workforce.
In fact, Odisha will be among the first few states in the country to have such full-fledged robotic labs for the students, said officials of the Odisha School Education Programme Authority (OSEPA), under the SME department, which has initiated the process for implementation of the move through Odisha Computer Application Centre (OCAC).
The initiative is a part of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programme. In the robotics laboratory, a student will get exposure to robotics, internet of things (IOT) and artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML). Each lab will have four robots, multiple ‘do it yourself (DIY)’ robotic kits, mechanical electronics components, computers and a fabrication/prototyping facility along with other basic infrastructure. A 3D printer will also be provided where students can prototype their ideas into a physical product. The students will also have the scope to use the laboratory to learn over 100 robotics, IOT and AI/ML projects. Coding and authentic problem-solving will also be a part of the robotics curriculum.
Initially, the project will be implemented in 500 schools identified from among the secondary schools transformed under 5T. The schools have been picked based on their annual enrollment, provision of power supply and backup and other facilities.
Close to `40 crore has been set aside for execution of the initiative initially and each school will get around `8 lakh for four robots to be used for demonstration and eight DIY robotic kits for each class, from VI to X.
The DIY kits to be provided for the robotic education will be different for each class. Light-activated robot, fire activated robot and object follower robot will be part of Class-VI kits, while touch activated robot, clap activated robot and line follower robot will be part of Class-VII kits. More advanced kits will be made available for Classes VIII, IX and X.
OSEPA officials said students from IIT-Bhubaneswar and other technical institutions will be roped in for robotic education in schools. “Robotics and hands-on learning solutions will help students bridge the gap between key theoretical concepts and their real-world applications. These facilities will also enable the students to learn coding at an early stage,” said OSEPA Project Director Anupam Saha.
Saha said irrespective of the career path students choose, robotics would help them in their learning as it enhances analytical, programming, collaborative and critical-thinking skills.
New Initiative
500 high schools to be equipped with robotic labs
Each lab to have four robots, multiple DIY robotic kits
3D printer to be provided to students
Techies, IIT students to be roped in for robotic education