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ISRO bid to ignite scientific spark in rural school children in UP
Speaking exclusively to Hindustan Times, a team led by Nilesh M Desai, the director of SAC, said: “The proposed activities in UP will include the establishment of ISRO’s space science and STEM laboratories in basic education schools, an educational outreach programme through ISRO’s ‘Space on Wheels’ (a mobile exhibition bus) for rural students, seminars and webinars by scientists on various occasions, and educational visits of meritorious students to SAC in Ahmedabad.
To ignite scientific curiosity among children in rural Uttar Pradesh and encourage them to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch its outreach programme called ‘Village Vaigyanik Karyakram’ through its Space Applications Centre (SAC) in Ahmedabad.
Speaking exclusively to Hindustan Times outside Raj Bhawan before their meeting with governor Anandiben Patel at 12 noon, a team led by Nilesh M Desai, the director of SAC, said: “The proposed activities in UP will include the establishment of ISRO’s space science and STEM laboratories in basic education schools, an educational outreach programme through ISRO’s ‘Space on Wheels’ (a mobile exhibition bus) for rural students, seminars and webinars by scientists on various occasions, and educational visits of meritorious students to SAC in Ahmedabad. Another national-level project involves the launch of an educational satellite payload through ISRO, with 75 Basic Education schools selected from each UP district.”
After the meeting, an official said, “The governor has asked SAC to establish a space lab at the primary school inside the Raj Bhawan premises.”
“The team inspected the school campus and identified an area where the proposed space lab will be established. The governor also requested for a tour of this school’s students to the SAC laboratory in Ahmedabad,” he added.
Primarily, SAC will be targeting students from the upcoming 47 Chief Minister Model Composite Schools, 18 Atal Awasiya (Residential) Schools operating in all 18 commissionerates, and the PM Shri Schools, as all these are dream projects of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Yogi Adityanath, the SAC director said.‘Village Vigyanik Karyakram’ is an outreach programme executed through registered space tutor, Vyomika Space, and focused on nurturing scientific temperament among the rural youth of UP through the transformative potential of space science and technology. The first pilot project was implemented in Hasudi Ausanpur village, Siddharth Nagar district, wherein India’s first Rural Space Education Lab was established within a government school.
Currently, more than 10,000 government school students across 15 districts of UP are being impacted with guidance through these rural space labs. The outreach initiative is designed to introduce school students and young minds in rural areas to practical applications of space science, foster curiosity through hands-on learning, and connect them with India’s growing space ecosystem, the SAC director said.
The SAC team highlighted plans to showcase advanced ISRO technologies during student visits, including developments from missions like Chandrayaan-3, Aditya-L1, Cartosat-3, RISAT-series, and future projects such as Gaganyaan and the Bharat Antriksh Station (BAS).
The team also extended an invitation to the chief minister and governor to visit SAC’s main campus in Ahmedabad.
On November 14, 2022, the SAC outreach programme was launched in 32 schools in 13 districts of UP. Since then, the UP model has been replicated in 11 other states in the country.
Meeting with CM:
In a high-level meeting with chief minister Yogi Adityanath, the ISRO team briefed him on the ‘Village Vaigyanik’ programme SAC in Ahmedabad and Vyomika Foundation. SAC director Nilesh M Desai presented the outreach plan, including ‘Space on Wheels’ science buses and student visits to ISRO labs. The CM was also briefed on the NISAR satellite’s applications for agriculture and disaster management. Suggestions included setting up an astronaut training centre and formulating a UP State Space Policy. The CM expressed interest and directed SAC to submit proposals for both VVK expansion and a state-specific disaster monitoring satellite mission.
