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 in Bandipora district on Sunday.
The workshop was conducted simultaneously at Nadim Memorial Boys Higher Secondary School, Kaloosa, and Government Higher Secondary School, Shagund, under the initiative “Psychology Driven STEM Learning to Build Scientific Temper in the Border Villages of Kashmir.”
The programme aimed to equip teachers and students with experiential STEM learning methods integrated with psychological principles, with a focus on scientific temper, critical thinking, problem-solving and innovation.
In his message, NIT Srinagar Director Prof. Anurag Misra said such initiatives were important for taking contemporary STEM education beyond conventional classrooms and promoting 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,” he said.
NIT Srinagar Registrar Prof. Atikur Rehman said the institute remained committed to strengthening academic and community outreach programmes in collaboration with educational institutions.
GCW M.A. Road Principal Prof. Yasmeen Farooq said the initiative reflected the college’s focus on 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 stressed the importance of nurturing scientific temper among teachers and students. She also emphasised the effective functioning of Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) and encouraged students to participate in STEM-based innovation.
The workshop was conducted with the support of the District Administration Bandipora and 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, and Co-Principal Investigator Dr Dinesh Kumar Rajendran, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, NIT Srinagar.
During the workshop, parallel sessions covered Psy-STEM integration, basic sensors and block programming, Arduino and ESP32 applications, robotics, drone technology and 3D printing. Modules on problem-solving, examination anxiety management, metacognition and developing a scientific mindset were also conducted.
A total of 30 teachers and 150 students were trained across the two venues.
The resource team included 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.
