SANKALP has been organising Children Scientists' Award Programme and Science and Technology Education Interactive Workshop to promote science education in the school system of the country.
The broad objective of the award programme and the interactive workshop is to develop "problem solving" and "critical thinking" approach among the senior secondary science students to link science and technology to addressing key societal issues, and to provide scientific and technological intervention to the contemporary socio-economic problems in immediate environment.
Under the children scientists' award programme, comprehensive guidelines and format of application are developed and sent to all the schools inviting research-based, original and innovative projects from the senior secondary science students on the following broad subject areas:
- physical Sciences
- chemical Sciences
- life Sciences
- computer Sciences
- environmental Sciences
- engineering Sciences
- home Sciences
- mathematical Sciences
The projects are evaluated and shortlisted candidates are called for presentation on their projects. On basis of the combined performances of the shortlisted children in the written evaluation and presentation, a consolidated list of awardees in 3 different categories is drawn.
The children scientist awardees have been invited to participate in the science and technology education interactive workshops, where they alongwith their science teacher co-ordinators interacted with leading scientists and technologists of the country on thematic and contemporaneous science and technology issues.
The Children Scientists' Award Programme and the Workshop have fulfilled its desired purpose of fostering a scientific ethos in the school educational content and process.
The project prepared by the students covered many a themes which are related to our day-to-day problems. The students exercised their creativity and originality in putting up various suggestions for the solution of our socio-economic problems.
The workshop has provided an unique opportunity to the young minds to interact with the senior most scientists/technologists/educationists of the country. It raised the confidence of the children scientists to look beyond the horizon of their school and the curriculum.