Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 30: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday praised Bengaluru's Prayoga Institute of Education Research for its 'Anveshana' initiative, which promotes experiential science education among school students, during the 132nd edition of his monthly radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat'.
Speaking to ANI, Prayoga's Founder and Chief Mentor, Dr H S Nagaraja, said the Prime Minister's acknowledgement had boosted the organisation's confidence and hoped it would inspire the opening of more such centres across the country.
"Prayoga was started ten years ago, and this organisation is in educational research. We are doing two things. First, to see if we can generate enough data so that every child in this country can one day learn science experientially. There is no knowledge without experience. It will be just information and will serve no purpose. And the new education policy also states that learning should be experiential. That's why Prayoga is doing this," Nagaraja said.
He added, "The Prime Minister mentioning this in Mann Ki Baat has boosted our confidence. We hope, as the Prime Minister has also said, that if this can produce great scientists from India, the organisation will be happy. We believe that more such centres should be opened in the country so that this country can progress."
In his address, PM Modi highlighted Prayoga's 'Anveshana' experiment, through which students from Classes 9 to 12 get the opportunity to innovate in areas like Chemistry, Earth Science, and Wellness, while also getting a platform to publish their research projects. Noting that many students had told him they wanted to study science but were afraid of it, the Prime Minister commended Prayoga's efforts in making science accessible and experiential.
"I learned about a unique educational initiative in Bengaluru. A team runs the Prayog Institute of Education Research. This team has a special focus on research projects. This team is engaged in popularising science education at the school level. They have conducted an experiment called 'Anveshan,' through which students from classes 9th to 12th get the opportunity to innovate in areas like Chemistry, Earth Science, and Wellness. This gives students a great research experience and also a platform to publish their projects," said the Prime Minister.
"The efforts of the Prayog team in this direction are commendable. This initiative gives students the opportunity to engage with science and demonstrate practical experience . When we try something ourselves, curiosity and interest are generated. Who knows, one of my young friends might be the best scientist of the future," PM added.