Shillong, August 18: Recognising that Classes 8 to 10 are the most formative years to nurture innovation and sharpen problem-solving skills, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma today stressed the need for district- and state-level competitions such as Science and Innovation Fairs, Mathematics Olympiads, and Rubik’s Cube Challenges as powerful platforms to ignite young minds. He was speaking at the inauguration of STEM Fusion, a one-day workshop and student exhibition organised by the North East Centre for Technology Application and Research (NECTAR) and Smart Village Movement, IISER Pune, at the State Convention Centre, Shillong.
Recalling his student days, the Chief Minister admitted, “There was too much seriousness surrounding these subjects and it wasn’t much fun learning Science and Maths and I am sure in general that must be the feeling of many others even now and it’s very unfortunate.”
He said the government, in collaboration with organisations like NECTAR and Smart Village Movement, is striving to make Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics more engaging. “This is a step towards improving the overall scenario and instilling in the children the curiosity and the enthusiasm when they think about STEM,” he said.
Proposing wider access through mobile science labs, Sangma added, “We have started such initiatives in the state under the Smart Village program and a lot of excitement is generated among the children who just come for experimenting and exploring.”
He further pressed for institutionalising competitions, saying, “I urge the Education Department to have mandatory calendar events in schools to visit these Science labs and centres and to also have Science and Maths competitions at different levels culminating in State level competition.”
Concluding his address, Sangma emphasised collaboration. “We cannot look at things in silos, we have to realize that we work in an ecosystem and unless variables in the ecosystem click and connect with each other a program cannot be successful,” he said, urging the Education Department, NECTAR, entrepreneurs and partners to create more STEM labs at the grassroots.
Adding to the excitement, the Chief Minister announced cash prizes of Rs 2 lakh for the first prize, Rs 1 lakh for the second, Rs 50,000 for the third, and Rs 10,000 for each participating school or group. He also assured that a few innovative student projects exhibited will be selected for government funding.
Also present were Principal Secretary Sampath Kumar, NECTAR Director General Arun Kumar Sharma, Vivek Shah from Smart Village Movement, Dr. S. Muthu Kumaran, HOD of Metallurgical and Mineral Engineering, NIT, and Director, Education, Government of Meghalaya.
