Students of Government Higher Secondary School Kreeri in Baramulla district have started working on multiple projects include milk boiling buzzer and apple grading machine.
For the apple grading project, the institute has been granted Rs 1 lakh to make it a working machine. Once the project is completed, it will ease the apple growers in sorting and other activities.
All these projects are being under taken at the institute’s Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) which was established in 2019 and the school was the first government school in Baramulla district where the lab started. The school also has a state-of-the-art Information and Communication Technology (ICT) lab which has also become a place of learning for the students.
Established in 1914, as a primary school, then to middle school in 1959, and was upgraded to higher secondary in 1979.
With the enrollment of over 600 students,the school has proved to be an innovative learning centre and a model school for students of the area.
Javid Ahmad Dar, teacher at the Higher Secondary, who is also the incharge of the ATL said the role of ATL is very important and in future, there would be a transformation in the country’s education system because of these labs.
“It is aimed to foster creativity, imagination in young minds. It is trusted to boost the ideas of the students. I suggest that it should be part of curriculum and daily timetable,” he said.
Dar said recently he asked a student to suggest an idea to be discussed in the lab. “The same student came with an idea to make hydraulic house to save the houses from floods.”
He said that ATL should be made compulsory for the students. He added that even if students spent some time they will be able to know and explore things in a proper way.
The teacher who guides students in ATL lab said the school has become an innovative centre for learning for the students.
“We work hard and it will take some time to improve more. We are utilizing the maximum existing resources and we are planning more projects,” he said.
Dar said ATL labs are like very important for the students and students can learn a lot from it and can turn their creative concepts into reality. “The ATL is the best option for them to explore their talent and do the practical work in the centre which is very important. Students have concepts and the right way to guide them is to give them a platform,” he said.
He said the school head has been very supportive and he always encourage innovation and the innovative teaching methods.
“Teaching is a dynamic method and it keeps changing. A teacher has to upgrade himself with the passage of time. This is the age of artificial intelligence, data science and we have to make students aware about such things,” he said.
ATL is a workspace where young minds can give shape to their ideas through hands on do-it-yourself mode and learn innovation skills. Young children get a chance to work with tools and equipment to understand concepts of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).
“ATL contains educational and learning ‘do it yourself’ kits and equipment on science, electronics, robotics, open-source microcontroller boards, sensors and computers,” he said.
The school also has ICT lab which has played an important role in nurturing the students over the years. Both ATL and ICT labs are not only confined to the Higher Secondary School but are open for all the government and private institutions of the adjoining areas and can use it for learning purpose.
The students with the help of their teachers have been taking part in different sports activities. Earlier this month, the students of the school have also shined in various sports activities.
School officials informed that so far 400 players have participated in national sports events. Two players of the school have also won gold medals and two players have won silver in Khaelo India.
Earlier this month, Seerat Manzoor, an 11 class student wrote her debut book titled “My Lost Childhood” in memory of her late father published by Wular Publishing House J&K. Last year, a 12 class student got 7th position in arts stream which is noteworthy.
Recently, among the 31,000 schools of India, the Kreeri school made it to the top 10 list at “2022 Youth Ideation” for its innovative idea of refining portable and low cost apple grading system of new entrepreneurship.
Over the years, the institute has been encouraging parent-teacher meetings which also helped to improve enrollment and the academics in the school. The institute, which offers medical, non–medical, arts, has now become a preferred place for students.
Prominent personalities of Kreeri including Rising Kashmir’s founding Editor, Late Syed Shujaat Bukharihave also studied in the same institution.
Principal Higher Secondary School Kreeri, Showkat Hussain said he wants to see the institute among the top most institutions across Jammu and Kashmir in academic and co curricular activities.
“I do wish and having firm determination for encouraging and proving all facilities to the students for their best future. I am very happy over the progress in the institution as students are interested to go through the facilities. The students should take interest in innovative ideas by utilizing the innovative ATL lab of the institution,” he said.
The Principal appealed parents to keep track of their child and students should be regular and punctual towards their studies.
He said that the teachers of the school have been at the forefront and they need to be appreciated for the efforts that have made the institute a unique and center of excellence in the entire area.
Syed Shameen, a teacher said the institute has played a pivotal role in education of the entire Kreeri belt.
