ISRO visits inspire students from Gadchiroli

Gadchiroli: The thrill to fly in a commercial jet seems to be giving wings to the students of remotest corners of Maharashtra's once-Naxalite-affected Gadchiroli district.

Over the last couple of years the Gadchiroli district administration has taken batches of students to Sriharikota, an island in the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, which houses the Satish Dhawan Space Centre and Bengaluru, which is the headquarters of Indian Space Research Organisation.

“Early next year, we are planning to take students to New Delhi, where they would meet President Droupadi Murmu,” said Dr Sachin Madavi, the Assistant Commissioner of Social Justice & Special Assistance Department in Gadchiroli district.

“In ninth and tenth standards, there is a high dropout rate among students, we have been able to arrest that,” Dr Madavi, who hails from the Madia tribal community, told the visiting DH correspondent at the Navegaon government residential school.

“The visit to ISRO facilities had been very exciting…in fact, a large number of students who visited spoke Telugu…similarly among the scientists many spoke Telugu… the students were at home and there was no language barrier,” said Dr Madavi.

“We are very excited…it has been a great experience for us…here what we learn is through experience,” students said pointing out how classrooms and labs are named after prominent Indian freedom fighters, social reformers and prominent scientists.

One of the rooms is named after former test pilot Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma (Retd), the Indian cosmonaut flew aboard Soyuz T-11 on 3 April 1984 as part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme. “Such people inspire us,” a student said, pointing out names of rooms after former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, physicist and Nobel laureate CV Raman.

“We give experience to students…we also have a concept of a travelling library within the school, from where the students can pick up books, read and then return…these are small things that we do,” said DG Ambilkar, Principal of the school.

“We have ensured that students are dressed properly and study in proper classrooms, which are of class. We have given the best education aids,” said Dr Madavi.