Karnataka: 41 'STREAM' labs to make students future-ready

Belagavi: In a first for public schools in Karnataka, the state government will set up 41 advanced labs across the Kalyana Karnataka region to introduce key concepts of futuristic science and environmental sustainability to students. 

These facilities will be known as Science, Technology, Robotics, Ecology, Astronomy and Mathematics (STREAM) labs and will be named after India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. 

Making the announcement on Sunday, Science and Technology Minister N S Boseraju said the 41 Assembly constituencies in Kalyana Karnataka will get a Nehru STREAM lab each.

"Collaborating with the Kalyana Karnataka Regional Development Board (KKRDB), the project moves beyond traditional STEM learning by introducing a unique curriculum that blends high-end futuristic science with environmental sustainability," Boseraju said in a press release.

The decision comes at a time when the Winter Session of the legislature is going on in Belagavi, and several discussions have centered around the continuing backwardness of the North Karnataka region.

The project has a budget of Rs 3 crore and will cover the seven districts in the Kalyana Karnataka region.

Stating that introducing basic exposure to quantum physics at school level was a first, the minister noted that the initiative aimed to spark curiosity about the "fundamental nature" of the universe. 

This will also be a "first-of-its-kind initiative where students get practical exposure to local flora, fauna, and their immediate environment".

Dr Ajay Dharam Singh, KKRDB chairman and Congress’ Jevargi MLA, noted that the move intended to ensure that rural students have the same scientific temper and opportunities as their urban counterparts.