Shillong: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Monday inaugurated STEM Fusion—a one-day workshop and student exhibition—at the State Convention Centre, Shillong.
The event was organized by the North East Centre for Technology Application and Research (NECTAR) in collaboration with Smart Village Movement and IISER Pune.
Addressing students and educators, the Chief Minister highlighted the common apprehension towards science and mathematics among students, recalling his own school days.
“There was always a fear of Science and Mathematics. These subjects were too serious and not much fun to learn,” he said, adding that the state government, along with partner organisations, is working to make STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education engaging and enjoyable.
He stressed the importance of creating curiosity and enthusiasm in children towards STEM and suggested the establishment of more science labs, including mobile “Lab on Wheels” facilities, to reach students in remote areas.
“Such initiatives have already started under the Smart Village program, and they have generated a lot of excitement among children,” he said.
Sangma also proposed mandatory visits to science labs and centres for school students and advocated for statewide science and math competitions, culminating in state-level events.
Emphasising collaboration, he said, “We cannot look at things in silos; different stakeholders need to come together to make such programs successful.”
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To encourage student participation, the Chief Minister announced cash prizes for the science exhibition—Rs. 2 lakh for the first prize, Rs. 1 lakh for the second, Rs. 50,000 for the third, and Rs. 10,000 for each participating school.
He further announced that selected innovative student projects from the exhibition will receive government funding for development.
The event was attended by Principal Secretary Sampath Kumar, NECTAR Director General Arun Kumar Sharma, Smart Village Movement representative Vivek Shah, NIT professor Dr. S. Muthu Kumaran, and senior officials from the Education Department.
