Principal Secretary, School Education Department, B K Singh on Thursday asked teachers to make Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL's) fully functional while asserting that scientific temper is essential for fostering a progressive society and advancing the nation in all sectors.
The Principal Secretary made these comments while addressing the workshop on utilisation of ATL here.The day-long workshop was organised by SCERT inviting representatives from District Institutes of Education (DIET) and schools to find ways for full utilisation of ATL.
Speaking on the occasion, the Principal Secretary, who holds additional charge of Director State Council of Education Research and Training (SCERT), J&K, said that ATLs can prove to be the best breeding grounds for the young minds to cultivate a scientific inquiry and invention among students.
“Children by nature are inquisitive; they frequently ask questions and are interested in how things operate,” he said. “This outlook on life needs to be fostered, supported, and encouraged throughout the educational system”, he added.
Senior Academic Officer, SCERT, Dr Saima Qadir, while giving details of the workshop said the full-scale implementation of the ATL’s was the Council’s topmost priority. She added that the goal of today’s workshop was to educate and empower the ATL representatives from the districts while also getting their feedback.
“We are gathering data from our 67 ATLs across the Division and will shortly develop a functional plan to make them fully operational,” she said.Associate Professor, SCERT, Fayaz Ahmad Fayaz, on the occasion highlighted that the SCERT would rope in experts and professionals from National Institute of Technology (NIT), Polytechnic institutions, Universities etc to enrich the capacities of the ATL staff.
Pertinent to mention, ATL is the government of India’s flagship program, run by NITI Aayog and is part of the Atal Innovation Mission, which aims to encourage an imaginative mind-set among high school students all over the nation.