Bengaluru: The state science and technology department will, on Nov 29, officially kick off the ‘Astronomy Access Initiative' that will see 833 residential schools under the social welfare department receive telescopes.
TOI first reported in Jan that the department had a proposal to help students at govt schools unlock the secrets of the cosmos. The proposal was approved by the govt and found allocation in the budget chief minister Siddaramaiah presented on Feb 16.
On Nov 29, the first 30 telescopes will be handed over to school authorities by Siddaramaiah, officially kicking off the project that will eventually see 833 devices reach various schools.According to officials from the department, the telescopes installed at the residential schools could be accessed by students of other institutions too.
"The role of the govt in fostering scientific temper is paramount. In Karnataka, under the leadership of CM Siddaramaiah and DCM DK Shivakumar, our govt has launched several initiatives to promote scientific thinking among the youth and the general public," science minister NS Boseraju told TOI.
He added: "In order to generate interest among students in stargazing and astronomy, we decided to provide telescopes to 833 schools under KRIES (Karnataka Residential Educational Institutions Society) at a total cost of Rs 3 crore in 2024-25. This step is towards encouraging scientific curiosity and exploration at an early age by nurturing curiosity and critical thinking skills at the grassroots."
An official said the department was targeting all residential schools across taluks in the first phase. "In the next phase, we plan to expand the initiative to other schools," an official said, adding that comprehensive training sessions for teachers are also in the pipeline to ensure optimal utilisation of the equipment," the official added.
The department is also looking at compensating participating teachers for their contribution using its own funds and not depending on the education department. Additionally, the programme mandates reserving a period of 10 days annually for astronomy observations and learning activities.