A Glimpse of IIT Gandhinagar’s Impactful ‘Curiosity Programme’ for KGBVs in 12 States

The Centre for Creative Learning (CCL) at IIT Gandhinagar successfully launched the Curiosity Programme, a unique initiative designed to spark curiosity and reignite the joy of learning among more than 2,00,000 young girls across 12 states in India. Targeted at Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs), this online program creates an engaging and innovative learning environment for girls from economically backward classes, making Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects fun and easy to understand.

The programme embarks on an ambitious mission, Women in STEM. Through 80 live biweekly online STEM sessions and hands-on activities with the Curiosity Box, the programme reaches over 2,585 KGBVs in 12 states, benefiting more than 2,00,000 girls. The sessions cover basic concepts in science and mathematics engagingly and interestingly,making difficult ideas easier to grasp.

Initially launched in Uttar Pradesh in 2022 in Hindi, the programme expanded to Gujarat and Telangana in 2023, offering bilingual instruction in Hindi and English. Over time, the programme extended to Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Jharkhand, and Andhra Pradesh. 

The programme is not just about engagement but also about building self-esteem and confidence. One unforgettable moment is when a student during an astronomy session proudly declares, “No ma’am, no ma’am… upar niche jata hai, aur isliye har mahine chandra grahan nahi hota,” showing her understanding of scientific concepts with real-life examples. One of the students Drishti, KGBV Kantrodi Gujarat asked, “Ma’am main bade hoker IIT main aana chahati hu, main kya kar sakti hu”, showing her aspiration towards science and technology. A teacher from KGBV, Loni Ghaziabad shared how eagerly the girls await each session, with students reminding them daily, “Ma’am, 4 bajte hi bachiyan bolti hain, ‘Curiosity Programme aaega, TV chalado.”

The interactive learning model includes the Curiosity Box for every KGBV, which contains materials for 80 hands-on activities. These activities encourage students to think beyond textbooks, complemented by YouTube videos for deeper exploration. Activities include understanding temperature and pressure using balloons, exploring angle bisectors and symmetry with a single cut, creating solid cross sections using vegetables, playing with droplet art using acid and base indicators and integrating maths through board games. The programme aims to stimulate curiosity-driven learning, encourage interdisciplinary thinking, and help students connect what they learn to their daily lives.

The curriculum is divided into two phases, focusing on Maths and Science. The Maths lessons cover concepts such as angle bisectors, symmetry in polygons, congruence, properties of triangles, algebra with playing cards, mensuration with astronomy and patterns in numbers with different arithmetic operations. Meanwhile, Science lessons introduce students to ideas like acid-base reactions, the science behind diyas and chemistry behind firecrackers, exploring biodiversity in school premises and the. The hands-on nature of the sessions makes learning more engaging and relatable.

To further strengthen the programme, IIT Gandhinagar conducts a series of 3-day residential workshops for KGBV teachers. The capacity-building workshops ensure the alignment of teachers with the experiential learning-based vision of the program. The workshops train
teachers on how to effectively introduce STEM concepts in their classrooms and provide them with tools to foster a love for learning among their students.

Prof Manish Jain from CCL, IIT Gandhinagar remarks, “The current challenge is that our children do not want to attend school. We do not know how much and what they are grasping in class. When we engage the child, we can reignite the inherent curiosity of our children. When students are curious, they can connect the life outside to curriculum which brings the engagement and it can be a self-correcting reinforced cycle. The outcome is engaged classrooms, conceptual clarity and GLEAM IN THE EYES. Presence without attendance is an added benefit. This is what we are seeing with our KGBV experiment and we want to take this to scale. The key is ENGAGED and INSPIRED TEACHER and CONTENT.”

The Curiosity Programme successfully achieves its objectives of building scientific temperament, boosting confidence, and empowering girls to connect their curriculum with real-life situations. By fostering creativity and innovation, the programme lays the foundation for these girls to become lifelong learners and future problem solvers. With more milestones on the horizon, IIT Gandhinagar remains committed to bringing positive change to education through the power of curiosity and women to STEM.