Secretary, DoSE&L, Sanjay Kumar, Flags off 64 Students for the Sakura Science High School Programme 2023 in Japan

Secretary, DoSE&L, Shri Sanjay Kumar, flagged off 64 enthusiastic and excited children, in a ceremony at CIET-NCERT, who were invited by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) to participate in the Sakura Science High School Programme 2023 from India along with other countries. The programme will be held from 10-16 December 2023. These meritorious school students are from KVS and NVS of 11 States: Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Odisha, Ladakh, Uttar Pradesh and Goa. The group includes 26 boys and 38 girls. The event was also attended by Joint Secretary, DoSE&L, Smt. Archana Sharma Awasthi; Manager JST Japan, Mr. Kemmochi Yukio; Director, NCERT, Prof. Dinesh Prasad Saklani; officials from DoSE&L, etc.

To expand the intellectual horizon and develop the spirit of scientific exploration among young learners, the JST, with the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSE&L), Ministry of Education, have been implementing the Sakura Science High School Programme under the Sakura Science Programme (SSP) since 2014. The students are invited under the programme for short-term visits to Japan, giving them the opportunity to experience Japan’s cutting-edge science and technology as well as its culture.

India participated in the program for the first time in April 2016. So far, 468 students along with 75 supervisors have visited Japan under this programme. The last batch of 57 students visited Japan in July 2023.

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, while emphasizing the importance of Curriculum and Pedagogy in Schools, endorses that "Learning should be Holistic, Integrated, Enjoyable and Engaging in itself”. Also, NEP 2020, states that in all stages, experiential learning will be adopted as standard pedagogy within each subject and with explorations of relations among different subjects. It is in this context that educational trips and excursions to different places of importance in terms of historical, cultural, social and technological development are of paramount importance. Japan, as a developed nation, and a friendly country, along with technological advancements, is also a favourite destination for educational exposure. Therefore, visiting a country like Japan is always enriching and provides an opportunity for the exploration of innovative practices.