If locational disadvantage is the yardstick for backwardness, then the far-flung Yerravaripalem mandal, abutting the dense Talakona forest, is certainly the most backward region in Chittoor district.
With no direct bus facility during school hours, the farthest village from which a student has to travel to reach the Yerravaripalem Model School is Kotakadapalle, 24 km away.
The sanction of an Atal Tinkering Lab to this remote school is not only a matter to rejoice but has also brought the school closer to modernity.
Nurturing innovation
Under the NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), the tinkering labs are dedicated workspaces in schools aimed at nurturing innovation skills and creative ideas in children studying from classes VI to XII. Apart from the regular computers, printers and projectors, the labs boast of state-of-the-art equipment meant to introduce students to the electronic devices, robotics, sensors, and Internet of Things (IoT).
The school received ₹12 lakh in the first instalment, which is spent towards purchase of equipment (₹7 lakh), establishment of lab (₹1.5 lakh) and laptop computer and projector (₹1.5 lakh), besides ₹2 lakh for operation and maintenance for five years.
Mentors deputed stay through the five-year period to not only teach the students but also train the faculty in handling the new subjects. “After the first two phases, this is for the first time a model school is considered for a lab in Chittoor district,” Principal B.T. Sridevi told The Hindu.
Focus on STEM
The facility was formally inaugurated by District Educational Officer K. Panduranga Swamy, in the presence of Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) Project Officer Vijayendra Varma on Friday. The lab is an attempt to introduce the students to the 21st generation learning systems, with enhanced focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
The lab has so far been established in 5,441 schools across the country in five phases out of the targeted 30,000 schools. Two periods of 40 minutes each a day will be allocated for the lab, which will be thrown open to the students in batches. “The students get hands-on experience while preparing models of rockets, aeroplanes, and machines,” says Fayaz, the mentor from Evobi Automations. Sky is now the limit to explore opportunities for the rural children, most of whom have never seen a city so far.