Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan
The Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan (RAA) was developed by the Ministry of Human Resource Developments. This nationwide campaign concentrates of mounting the reach of Science, Technology and Mathematics on the grass root school level. Smriti Irani, the HRD Minister in 2015, renamed and announced the programme as APJ Abdul Kalam Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan, following the demise of Dr Kalam.
Objectives
The purpose of the plan was to essence the creativity and enquiry for Mathematics and science among school children. It intends on making the science and math education link to the real-life knowledge. The program also aims to build a culture of thinking, discovering, tampering and endorsing the enquiry based learning in schools. This further shall cultivate and inspire schools to put up as incubators of innovation.
Consequently, this would help the children get engaged in technology, science and mathematics leading to the advancement of minds for rational reasoning, experimentation, inference drawing, model building and testability. The science research laboratory is set up in the districts of North Eastern States.
National Steering Committee (NSC)
The national level NSC is co-chaired by the secretary department of school education and higher education.
Functions of NSC
- It executes RAA harmonising with Govt. of India Organisations and programmes motivating science.
- Creates institutions for Abhiyan schemes like mentoring school institutions to promote higher education, support student science clubs, advocacy and monitoring, resource material development, etc.
- Keep track of Abhiyan activities every 6 months and extending them if required.
- Coordinating, converging and harmonising the GoI initiatives, civil society contribution and industry activities enhancing the RAA outreach.
State Level Steering Committee (SLSC)
This is held at the state level headed by State/UT education secretary. The following are the strategies used to promote (SMT):
Apart from basic learning in schools, the strategies like school mentoring, building mathematics and science teacher circles, science and math clubs for children and sensitization of parents and community have also been opted.