11 students from various government and private schools from across all districts of Kashmir Division have been selected for National level INSPIRE awards exhibition for the academic year 2021–2022.

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The event, described as the State Level Exhibition and Project Competition (SLEPC), was held at the State Council of Educational Research and Training auditorium (SCERT) here at Bemina.

The students of age group of 10-15 years, competed in a district-wise exhibition and project competition conducted by the SCERT in conjunction with the National Innovation Foundation-India (NIF).

Principal Secretary School Education, Alok Kumar, expressed happiness for students’ selection for the national exhibition. “It’s important that our kids learn to embrace the spirit of experimentation and enjoy science,” Kumar said and added “Our goal is to draw more students now and in the future.”

Director School Education, Dr. Tasaduq Hussain, who attended the valedictory ceremony, said it was time to provide the children a suitable platform to display their talents.

Giving details of the exhibition, Senior Academic Officer, SCERT, Dr Sajad Ahmad, who is the nodal officer of the INSPIRE-NIF, said 95 students showcased their original ideas/innovations which were scrutinized by a jury of four experts.

Head of the Physics Department, Central University Kashmir, Dr Khalid Sultan, Senior Scientist, Quality Control Laboratory, Dr. Malik Sajad, Senior Assistant Professor and Head of the Physics Department, Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), Dr Farooq Hussain Bhat and Senior Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Sri Pratap College, Ruheema Tabasum judged the event.

The winner students included “Sidrat-ul-Muntaha, Adil Rashid Baba, Adfar Jan, Aksa Manzoor, Faisal Ahmad Kumar, Faisal Ahmad Dar, Sajaf Thoker, Talib Hussain Bhat, Rashid Ahmad Wagay and Saniya Saleema,”.

The selected students, Dr Sajad said, would further be mentored by a team of experts from NIT and other institutions to have their ideas/innovations improved upon.