Vanavil Mandram (Rainbow forum), a unique initiative to foster scientific interest among school students was launched by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin here on Monday. It is aimed at promoting interest among the students of standard 6 to 8 to learn Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
The event, attended among others by Ministers K N Nehru, Thangam Thennarasu, Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi and Tiruchirappalli Mayor M Anpahagan, was inaugurated at the Pappakurichi Government Girls Higher Secondary school, Kattur.
Also, the Chief Minister flagged off 100 mobile science and mathematics laboratories on behalf school Education department to stimulate the scientific temper among students. They would teach students science experiments and mathematics, on a monthly basis, with proper guidance, and display science tools made by students.
The scheme will be implemented at an estimated cost of Rs 25 crore to benefit 25 lakh government school students. Later, the Chief Minister visited the classrooms where science experiments were conducted by the students under the guidance of the teachers and interacted with them.
Special training has been given to teachers who had expressed interest in participating in the programme across the state to share the methods they have used so far in teaching and provide suggestions for continued implementation of the programme.
About 710 STEM facilitators have been selected across Tamil Nadu to implement this programme and they will act as mobile science and mathematics experimenters. Also, they will guide in conducting simple science experiments for students of 6th to 8th standard.
(With PTI inputs)
