By Our Correspondent
SAMBALPUR/BHUBANESWAR:With the integration of knowledge and science, Odisha students will no longer dream, but will transform those dreams into reality. The ‘Boeing Sukanya STEM Lab’, inaugurated in the first phase at three locations including the historic Chandrashekhar Behera (CSB) District School in Sambalpur, is not just a science lab, but a powerful tool for our Kanya Ratnas to reach the sky, said Union Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan.
Shri Pradhan today attended the annual festival ‘Jyotirgmay’ of the historic CSB District School, Sambalpur on the occasion of ‘National Girl Child Day’ and inaugurated the ‘Boeing Sukanya Program STEM Lab’ through virtual medium. Shri Pradhan expressed happiness by inaugurating these labs at CSB District High School, Gourchandra High School, Redhakhol and Government High School Kuchinda in Sambalpur. He said that on the occasion of ‘National Girl Child Day’, Odisha’s first ‘Boeing STEM Lab’ has been started from Sambalpur. This lab will provide science along with aerospace related education and training required to become a pilot. This initiative will ignite a new light of scientific thinking and innovation among our students, especially girl students.
The Minister said that in the next 10 years, the number of aircraft in India will increase to 15,000. For this, a large number of pilots, engineers and designers are required. These STEM labs will prove to be a milestone in the field of technical education in the coming days. They will prepare our students, especially female students, for the challenges of the 21st century. This will be a powerful tool to make their dreams come true. Citing the success of Shri Pradhan Missile Man Bharat Ratna APJ Abdul Kalam, the Minister emphasized on teaching science and other subjects in the mother tongue to increase basic clarity and ‘critical thinking’ among children.
He further said that with the implementation of the National Education Policy in Odisha, new textbooks will be introduced from class I to VIII from the academic year 2026-27. It will be based on the ‘Odisha State Curriculum Framework’ (OSCF). Training has been started through AI with the help of NCERT and IIT Madras to make 1 lakh 67 thousand teachers of the state competent in the new curriculum. Similarly, teaching in mother tongue will be strengthened up to class V, which will strengthen the basic education foundation of children. Apart from this, he called for taking care of the health of children in Odisha.
Comparing the 174-year-old CSB school to a ‘bottle tree’, the Minister recalled the unique contribution of late Chandrashekhar Behera in the formation of Odisha. The school’s official magazine ‘Vaijayanti’ was also launched under the patronage of Shri Pradhan.
