Some talented school children now have an opportunity to get initiated into international university-level courses quite early. Thanks to Duke University's Talent Identification Program (TIP), 64 school students from different socio-economic background have got the privilege to study topics like entrepreneurial leadership and JAVA for video games, at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, for three weeks from May 17 to June 6.
The students, who have completed class VIII, are at the top five per cent of their classes from Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Dehradun, Delhi and Mumbai schools. Duke TIP has partially funded every student and given full financial aid
to others.
Participating students chose one of four university-level courses - engineering problem solving; entrepreneurial leadership; forensic science and JAVA for video games. Based on active learning and child-centric instructions, each course gets a small group of students, and two instructors to ensure individual attention. The classroom experience is designed to promote hands-on, experiential learning. It encourages students to think critically about class lessons. The whole activity is interactive.
"We are excited to be in India, pursuing innovative models of educating academically gifted students for the second year," said Martha Putallaz, Executive Director, Duke TIP.
