With a vision to promote science education among young girls, an organisation has undertaken an initiative to set up Stem labs in two schools.
The Inner Wheel Club of Calcutta Mahanagar will set up these Stem labs that will help develop problem solving skills in science, engineering and mathematics.
These labs are being installed at Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Sister Nivedita Girls’ School in Baghbazar and Satyabriti Vidyalaya in Madurdaha.
“The Stem labs will create more critical thinkers and will help students to become change makers and think analytically. It will help to bridge gender inequality by giving Stem education to all,” said Jyoti Mahipal, the 50th president of the Association of Stem , while launching the initiative on June 14.
The special guest at the event was scientist and aerospace engineer at the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), Ritu Karidhal Srivastava.
“I got the opportunity to join Isro, some 27 years back. So, many years back sending a daughter from Lucknow to Bangalore — a far and unfamiliar place — was not an easy task. But my parents had confidence in their daughter and I got this opportunity to join Isro. The very important part for women empowerment is the support of parents and family that helps in making empowered women,” said Srivastava.
Listening to her in the audience was a young girl Moutan Bhattacharya.
“Girls are entitled to opportunities as much as boys,” said the Class IX student.
The initiative is to contribute in empowering girls and encouraging more girls to join science stream.
“We want to address it at the grassroots level by promoting science education among girls. We hear that not many girls want to take up science but that should change. There should be more gender equity,” said Sumita Roy, former chairman, Inner Wheel District 329.