The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has recently released a new initiative titled ‘Learning Science via Standards.’ It is designed with the specific goal of helping students grasp the tangible uses of scientific principles and concepts in product development, functionality, and testing. As a follow-up to BIS’s earlier successful project, the ‘Standards Clubs,’ this initiative looks to further bridge the gap between theoretical and practical science education while promoting quality standardization nationwide.
‘Learning Science via Standards’ Initiative
The ‘Learning Science via Standards’ series is BIS’s latest venture aimed at enhancing the practical understanding of scientific theories among students. BIS’s ‘Standards Clubs’ initiative had previously formed over 4200 clubs, benefiting more than 100,000 student members. The ‘Standards Clubs’ focused on student-centric activities such as debates, quizzes, and competitions. Students even had the chance to participate in standards-writing contests. Under this new scheme, BIS extends financial support for up to three different activities annually.
Atal Innovation Mission Introduces ATL Sarthi
The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) under NITI Aayog launched ATL Sarthi. This comprehensive self-monitoring framework was developed to fortify the ecosystem surrounding Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL). AIM has established ATLs in numerous schools across India to stimulate curiosity, encourage creative thinking, and develop critical skills such as design mindset, computational thinking, adaptive learning, and physical computing. Approximately 10,000 schools have received funding from AIM by March 2023 for the establishment of ATLs.
ATL Sarthi is designated as a tool to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the ATLs. The initiative is structured around four pillars: the ‘MyATL Dashboard’ for self-reporting performance enhancement, Compliance SOPs for financial and non-financial compliances, collaboration with local authorities via a Cluster-based Approach, and the Performance-Enablement (PE) Matrix for self-analysis of performance by schools.
Sikkim’s Bumchu Festival
The Bumchu festival is an annual event held at Tashiding Monastery, perched atop a hill overlooking the Rangeet River in Sikkim. The monastery is revered as one of the most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage sites. The term “Bumchu” translates to “pot of sacred water” in Tibetan. This ritual involves the distribution of holy water from a vase among worshippers, believed to possess healing properties, and bring fortune and prosperity.
The Bumchu festival typically occurs on the 14th and 15th days of the first lunar month, generally falling in February or March. According to legend, a revered Buddhist guru who introduced Buddhism to Tibet blessed the location of the monastery in the eighth century, following which, the monastery was founded in the 17th century.