As part of an initiative to promote scientific curiosity among girls from underserved communities, 180 students and 20 teachers from 20 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) across Gujarat recently visited the Centre for Creative Learning (CCL) at IIT Gandhinagar.
During the exposure visit, the girls participated in a range of hands-on STEM activities and collaboratively created a large-scale portrait of Kasturba Gandhi using more than 18,000 colourful push pins. The artwork will soon be installed at the Samagra Shiksha Gujarat office.
The visit was organised under the ongoing Curiosity Programme (Jigyasa), a large-scale online STEM initiative that connects over 1,837 KGBVs and more than 1.5 lakh girls across eight states through biweekly interactive sessions. The programme has been active in Gujarat for the past three years and focuses on girls from underprivileged backgrounds.
The exposure visit aimed to familiarise students with the world of science and technology at IIT Gandhinagar and inspire them to pursue their aspirations. Expressing her excitement, Rupapra Yashri from KGBV RMC said, “Please keep the exposure visit for at least a week next time so that we can do all the activities present here.”
Students and teachers also interacted with programme facilitators and shared their experiences. Shreyaba Jadeja from KGBV Shekhpat, Jamnagar, said the activities helped her better understand classroom concepts. “We enjoy the activities of the Curiosity Program and feel the desire to learn new activities every day. These activities have helped us understand topics like acids and bases in an easy and interesting way,” she said. A teacher added that the girls eagerly look forward to the weekly sessions, noting that “learning science by doing keeps them engaged in ways textbooks cannot.”
The visit concluded with a guided tour of the IIT Gandhinagar campus. Students explored the institute’s sports complex, visited the CCL lab where educational toys and learning activities are developed, and toured the recording studio from which live Curiosity sessions are conducted every Tuesday and Friday.
Highlighting the programme’s impact, Siddhi from KGBV Pij shared that an activity she learned through the Curiosity Programme was selected for an ISRO camp. Neha Garg, Programme Manager for the Curiosity Programme, said the initiative aims to make education more accessible. “These girls, who come from very marginalised sections, consistently surprise us with their dedication and hunger to learn. Given the right opportunities, they persevere and excel. Our goal is to create such learning opportunities across the country,” she said.
By bringing KGBV students to the IIT Gandhinagar campus, IIT Gandhinagar and Samagra Shiksha Gujarat are working towards creating equitable educational pathways for marginalised communities.