IIT Guwahati, Assam Govt's STEM Success

The Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, in collaboration with the Government of Assam's Arohan scheme, is promoting STEM subjects in higher education. The institute has hosted 3311 students and mentee teachers, with 65 per cent of the total participants being girls, this aligns with the National Education Policy 2020.

Arohan was conceived as a Mentor-Mentee programme for secondary class student's in Government schools is operating under the umbrella of Samagra Shiksha Assam, this flagship programme encompasses diverse activities, including mentoring, exposure trips, competition interactions tailored for the career progression of government school students from 9-12 standard. 

Within the framework of the Arohan scheme, IIT Guwahati’s Mentees along with their Guide teachers/Officers in a total of 12 batches got the opportunity to engage with institute faculty members, interact with students and explore institutional facilities. Coordinated by the Offices of Outreach Education Programme (OEP), Public Relations Branding and Ranking (PRBR) and Student’s Affairs at IIT Guwahati. 

“Arohan programme is a fully residential programme for the meritorious students of Assam at IIT Guwahati, where they visit various higher educational Institutions, Research Institutes and laboratories to get exposure, apart from the interaction with IIT Faculty as well as students. This is a great investment in our future and for IIT Guwahati it is a way to contribute to society. We hope that once they go back to their homes, many of them will try their best to come back to IIT Guwahati as students along with their friends”, A S Achalkumar, Dean, Outreach Education Programme, IIT Guwahati, said. 

During the interactive session, the topics covered included JEE preparation strategies, research in basic sciences, academic programmes at IITs and the Common Entrance Examination for Design. These interactions aimed to instill a sense of scientific and technological enthusiasm among the gifted students.

“I am grateful to the government for giving us this exposure. This initiative is especially beneficial to brilliant students who have big dreams but may be economically weaker. The vibrant discussions here at IIT Guwahati will help us in our future career”, Ayan Dutta, Dhekial, Higher Secondary School, said.

“Being a part of these sessions has taught me so much and now, I dream of studying at IIT Guwahati. I'm determined to put in the effort and work hard to turn this dream into a reality”, Kristi Bora, Rangmahal High School, said. 

“Through these engaging sessions, the IIT Guwahati teachers provided us valuable guidance on achieving success in life, doing better in our studies and staying focused on our learning”, Triveni Das, Doyang High School, said. 

“This Arohan programme conceived by the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Assam was entrusted to IIT Guwahati as a fully residential programme for the meritorious students from the remotest places of Assam to be hosted at IIT Guwahati, so that exposure to world-class facilities, interactions with brightest students and visits to state-of-the-art laboratories and academics can be provided to these students. We have been working very closely with the education department of Assam and have initiated several important STEM initiatives including this Arohan programme and we hope to contribute to imbibing quality STEM education and amenities to students and teachers including making them aware of the best opportunities available to them at IIT Guwahati and other institutes”, Parameswar K. Iyer, Dean, Public Relations Branding and Ranking, IIT Guwahati, said.