In the way forward the two organisations will now come together to reach out to school children by providing virtual platform for conducting new innovations.
Prime minister Narendra Modi's initiative of developing inter-ministerial coordination has yielded results, as Vijnana Bharti (VIBHA) attached to the ministry of science and technology and IIT Delhi under the aegis of the human resource development ministry have together entered the Guinness Book of World Record for largest practical science lesson, involving 2,000 school children. This is also the first time a scientific body in India has made to the world record.
In the way forward the two organisations will now come together to reach out to school children by providing virtual platform for conducting new innovations.
Breaking Ireland's record where 1,339 students had together performed an experiment as a part of their chemistry lesson that focused on catalysts, in Delhi on December 7, 2,000 students participated in a 65- minutes experiment breaking this Irish record.
The experiment was a part of a five day India International Science Festival (IISF) organized by VIBHA. VIBHA has been organizing science meetings but for the first time it had held this festival at the IIT.
"We chose IIT because we wanted to give the young scientists a feeling of being at country's one of the premium institutions. IIT Delhi graciously lent us the support," said science and technology minister Dr Harshvardan. After the world record, science and technology ministry now hopes to scale up the festival to the next level. The minister said, "We will sit and review the positives and the lapses and will try to make plans to scale up the event."
Human resource development ministry pitched in the festival with its school children. "NCERT helped us in selecting forty schools that participated. Eighty teachers were trained and three rounds of mock tests were conducted by the students before the final day," said Professor Kshitij Gupta, Director IIT, Delhi. The idea was conceptualized by Professor K Girish Kumar of Cochin University.
Students from class nine to 12 participated in the exercise.
A Jayakumar, Secretary General of VIBHA gave credit to the affinity and the smooth coordination between the ministries for the success of the program. While the festival was hosted by the science and technology ministry, HRD ministry gave the required co-operated.
VIBHA is now looking at creating the first of its kind portal to bring the talented students together. "We will call upon all students interested in scientific innovations. These students can discuss their ideas on the portal. VIBHA will identify PhD scholars who will mentor these young students," explained Jayakumar. Science and technology ministry plans to tie up with various technical institutions for the project.
IIT Delhi is already on board with VIHBA on the project. "When the HRD minister visited the campus on the day we were to make the world record, she had expressed her desire that more such experiments involving students. We are keen to work on the project," said Gupta, Director IIT.
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