IIT-Madras to guide Telangana's Sircilla government school students; 8-week online course to concentrate on AI & more

A big shot in the arm for rural education, students of two govt schools in Sircilla are ready to participate in an eight-week online course by the prestigious IIT Madras from this August. As a part of the school connect programme by the institute, students will learn about advanced subjects including AI to law while remaining in their classrooms.

 

The courses, which are developed and provided by the outreach and digital education center at IIT Madras, range from a wide variety of topics like data science and AI, aerospace, architecture and design, engineering biological systems, environmental studies, law, electronic systems, humanities, and recreational modules such as 'maths unplugged' and 'fun with maths and computer'.

 

Government High School, Sircilla and Zilla Parishad Girls High School, Sircilla Class X students will be participating in the programme. The students will view video lessons during the week and participate in live interactive sessions with IIT professors on every Saturday.

 

"This is a good chance for students to be exposed to these topics and learn directly from IIT Madras. We have all the facilities required, such as big television screens, projectors, and computers to make it an interactive experience," said Dr Chakinala Srinivas, gazetted headmaster of Government High School, Sircilla.

 

Describing how this came about, he further said, "We grasped the opportunity and made an application for the school connect programme of IIT Madras and received word that the tie-up had been confirmed. This morning, I told the students in assembly, and they were all visibly excited."

 

Students who successfully undergo the programme will be awarded certificates from IIT Madras, which is an important incentive for a number of students in these schools.

 

"When students are exposed to multiple subjects at the school level itself, they can make an informed choice about their future profession," Dr Srinivas observed.

 

The move is viewed as a step towards narrowing the gap between rural students and premier educational institutions, providing them with an early push into future-oriented courses.