Srinagar, Sept 13: A six-day Psy-STEM Workshop organised by Government College for Women (GCW), M.A. Road, Srinagar, in collaboration with NIT Srinagar under the Jammu and Kashmir Science, Technology and Innovation Council (JKST&IC)-sponsored Research and Extension Programme, concluded successfully in Bandipora district on Sunday.
The workshop was held simultaneously at Nadim Memorial Boys Higher Secondary School, Kaloosa, and Government Higher Secondary School, Shagund, under the flagship initiative “Psychology Driven STEM Learning to Build Scientific Temper in the Border Villages of Kashmir.”
The programme focused on equipping teachers and students with experiential STEM learning approaches integrated with psychological principles to promote scientific temper, critical thinking, problem-solving skills and innovation.
In his message, Director NIT Srinagar, Prof. Anurag Misra, said such initiatives were important for taking contemporary STEM education beyond conventional classrooms and exposing students to practical learning.
“Integrating psychology with STEM can help students learn through curiosity, experimentation and problem-solving. Such outreach programmes are vital for nurturing scientific temper and innovation among students,” Prof. Misra said.
Institute’s Registrar, Prof. Atikur Rehman, said the institute remained committed to strengthening academic and community outreach programmes in collaboration with educational institutions.
Principal GCW M.A. Road Srinagar, Prof. Yasmeen Farooq, appreciated the participation of teachers and students and said the initiative reflected the college’s commitment to innovative and interdisciplinary education.
“Our endeavour is to connect psychological understanding with STEM learning so that students develop not only technical skills but also confidence, creativity and scientific thinking,” she said.
The inaugural session was attended by Deputy Commissioner Bandipora, Indu Kanwal Chib, who emphasised the importance of nurturing scientific temper among teachers and students. She also stressed the need for effective functioning of Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) and encouraged students to actively participate in STEM-based innovation. She appreciated the keen participation of teachers throughout the programme.
The workshop was conducted with the support of the District Administration Bandipora and active coordination of Chief Education Officer Bandipora, Rafeeq Ahmad Mir.
The programme was led by Principal Investigator Dr. Eshrat Ara, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, GCW M.A. Road Srinagar, and Co-Principal Investigator Dr. Dinesh Kumar Rajendran, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, NIT Srinagar.
Over six days, parallel sessions were conducted at both venues, covering a range of practical and theoretical modules, including Psy-STEM integration, basic sensors and block programming, Arduino and ESP32 applications, robotics, drone technology and 3D printing.
Special focus was also placed on psychological dimensions of learning, including problem-solving, examination anxiety management, metacognition and development of a scientific mindset.
A total of 30 teachers and 150 students were trained across the two venues, reflecting strong interest in interdisciplinary and experiential learning.
The sessions were conducted by a team of resource persons comprising Dr. Parsa Sarosh, Assistant Professor, Department of Electronics, GCW M.A. Road; Abid Fayaz, CTO, Koshur Scientist; Ajaz Hussain, Faculty, Robotics, MSME Srinagar; and Haripriyan K., Drone Engineer, Aramvisai Pvt. Ltd., along with trained master trainers and facilitators associated with the project.
The organisers said conducting sessions simultaneously at two venues located nearly 33 kilometres apart posed logistical challenges, but coordinated efforts by the participating institutions and district administration ensured smooth execution of the programme.
The successful completion of the Bandipora phase marks another milestone in the Psy-STEM initiative, strengthening the efforts of GCW M.A. Road Srinagar and NIT Srinagar to promote innovative, psychology-driven STEM education, particularly among students and teachers in border and underserved areas.
The organisers expressed gratitude to the District Administration Bandipora, participating schools, resource persons, teachers, students and other stakeholders for their support and active participation in making the workshop successful.
