Pune, April 22nd – 2022: The Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell under the directive of National Educational Policy 2020 (NEP) is now working towards ensuring that the educational outlook of the country is restructured and redesigned to give more emphasis on the development of the innovation and creative potential within each student. Central board of Secondary Education(CBSE) along with Ministry of Education Cell has developed guidelines for schools for promotion of innovation and entrepreneurial skills in students titled National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Promotion Policy (NIEPP). The goal being to hone students’ skills through a holistic approach to be future ready.
Towards this, S.T.E.M-based education has become the need of the hour. This learning pedagogy is focused on pure learning through experience. STEM fits perfectly with the goals set by the NEP of developing creative innovation, problem solving, team work, strategic thinking, entrepreneurial skills, and more. As such, educational institutions are now seeking help to set up specialised STEM labs that are attuned with the new focus on innovation-based learning over test taking.
“This makes the role of learning tool providers most significant; who are working and innovating in sync with NEP 2020 ambitions. They are greatly buttressing and supporting the seamless integration of innovative learning into mainstream schooling,” shares Deepti Sharma, Director, ThinkerPlace, a start-up providing aid to learning through S.T.E.M-based DIY kits and labs.
Educational institutions and learning providers are now mandated to restructure themselves in a manner that it will be made ‘more responsive and relevant to the developmental needs and interests of learners at different stages of growth.’ Therefore, their curricula will be guided by a 5+3+3+4 design, comprising a Foundational, preparatory, middle and a secondary stage. This new mandate also encourages a boost in teacher morale and collaborations with partner school and MSMEs.
“We are in an age where children absorb knowledge differently. It is no more book learning that stimulates their creative minds. At ThinkerPlace, our goal is to enhance the concept of learning beyond book. Giving more weightage to creativity and innovation through different sources. Keeping the Pillars of Ideation, Innovation, Entrepreneurship (IIE) as the benchmark, we use age-appropriate educational DIY STEM kits to assist kids to learn various concepts and implement them in real life. Following the launch of the NEP 2020 mandate, ThinkerPlace has assisted in setting up Labs at School at various institutions across the nation. We firmly believe that innovation is the core of education in the 21st century” shares Deepti Sharma.
Through such restructuring, the aim would be to amalgamate ‘Ideation, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE) in the learning ecosystem’. This has been made easily possible at the school level through the setup of S.T.E.M labs at school. Educational institutions today are transforming their curriculums to adjust to the NEP 2020 guidelines using processes that are engaging and interesting.
