Jamshedpur, Dec. 21: Jamshedpur Public School (JPS) has been selected under the Atal Innovation Mission for establishing Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs) in the school.
After screening 13,005 schools across the country, 257 schools have been selected under the mission. The school will receive Rs 20 lakh from Niti Aayog, Govt. of India , for setting of Atal Tinkering Lab.
257 schools across India have been selected for the establishment of the Atal Tinkering Labs. Out of 257 schools only three schools are from Jharkhand.
The selection process for the same began in the month of July 2016 when schools across India were invited to apply for the same .
The total number of applications received by Niti Aayog ( the �Think Tank of Govt. of India) were 13000 out of which 595 schools were selected for the Innovation Challenge that was held simultaneously at 6 cities across India on 5th November,2016.
The schools were short listed on the basis of an Evaluation Matrix comprising parameters such as schools performance over the last three years, involvement of students & teachers in activities related to science & innovation, involvement of mentors such as scientists & engineers in school programmes, schools proposal on action plans for organizing activities to increase scientific temperament in students as well as of utilization of funds .
At the Innovation Challenge the schools had to showcase an innovative solution to any of the challenges faced by the community where the school is located. The teams had to think of innovative, out of the box solutions to real life challenges using science and technology as a tool.
The team comprising the school Principal, two teachers & three students had to present solutions for any two challenges being faced by their community. The schools could showcase a model/prototype in addition to the slides/presentation to explain the innovative solution.
The team would also have to highlight its understanding of the ATL and its purpose .This would involve the teachers and the students answering questions about.
Their vision and understanding of the ATL, Impact of the activities conducted in ATL on the school, students and teachers, Utilisation plan for the space in ATL, Activities to be conducted in ATL (projects/events/lectures etc.) and identified mentors for ATL.
Each presentation was evaluated by a team of 2-3 judges/experts from Niti Aayog. JPS team comprised of Principal Namita Agarwal, teachers Indrajit Mukherjee & Amit Mishra and students Pratya Amrit, Deeptam Das and Rohit Kumar.
The selection of the schools for the ATL grant was done on the basis of the scores of the online applications made as well as the presentation made at the Innovation Challenge .
Finally, on 5th December Niti Aayog, Govt. of India declared the results of the Innovation Challenge. 257 schools have been selected for receiving a Grant �in aid of Rs 20 lakhs for the setup of an Atal Tinkering Lab. in school.
Principal Namita Agarwal said, we are now excitedly awaiting the ATL launch & Orientation programme for all the selected schools , which will be conducted soon by Niti Aayog , Govt. of India at Delhi.
‘We are proud of being one of the schools selected under the Atal Innovation Mission wherein the Union Government would provide Rs. 20 lakh for establishing modern labs for taking up research-related activities’, added principal.
The Government of India has setup the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) at NITI Aayog. Realising the need to create scientific temper and cultivate the spirit of curiosity and innovation among young minds, AIM proposes to support establishment of a network of Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATL).
ATL is a work space where young minds can give shape to their ideas through hands on do-it-yourself mode and learn innovation skills. The vision is “to Cultivate 1 Million children in India as Neoteric Innovators”.
