STUDYING SCIENCE WITHOUT BOOKS OR WRITING

Tamil Nadu’s volunteer-driven programme to encourage STEM learning has been received well but the frequency of the classes is too low.

- Atul Krishna

It took Manjula D one-and-a-half months to cover five experiments on air pressure in the 23 government schools that she has been assigned to. Now, she will move on to the next topic, compressible liquids and solids. Manjula is one of 710 volunteers deployed across Tamil Nadu to incite curiosity and interest in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or STEM.

Launched in November, the Tamil Nadu government's scheme Vaanavil Mandaram, or Rainbow Forum, aims to engage the school students in STEM learning. The programme is being implemented in more than 13,000 schools in all the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu with a budget of Rs. 25 crores.

The Tamil Nadu government has selected and deployed at least one or two volunteers in each block of all districts.

"I am a member of the Tamil Nadu Science Forum and through them I got to know there is such a programme and it needs volunteers. I looked it up and uploaded my résumé and got selected," said Manjula who earned her MSc degree in mathematics in 2020 and has a BEd in special education.

Workshops and experiments

The volunteers teach the class based on modules prepared by the state government. There are 30 experiments in total which include 25 science experiments and five maths experiments covering various scientific and mathematical principles. This involves experiments such as Bernauli's balloon which shows how fast-moving or slow-moving particles affect pressure to teach the Bernauli's Principle.