PANAJI
Goa government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Harvard University to bring in transformative educational programmes to enhance and empower underprivileged students from the government run higher secondary schools.
The MoU will also open doors for the students to attend Harvard Summer School.
In the first pilot phase, total of hundred underprivileged students from Class XI will be trained. Significantly, 40 teachers will also undergo Pedagogy Training in the programme.
The MoU was signed in the presence of the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Harvard University representative Dr Dominic Mao and Dr Andrea Wright.
The Program for Scientifically-Inspired Leadership (PSIL) is a platform that brings three groups of students together – college students from Harvard University, who will serve as instructors, college students from Goa, who will serve as instructor fellows, and higher secondary school students who will comprise the student participants in the programme.
According to the press statement issued by CMO, the initiative is in line with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to ensure higher quality education to all thereby making India a Global Knowledge Super Power.
“Goa State aims to ensure that no student loses opportunity to learn and excel because of the circumstances of birth or background. The aim is to bridge the social category gaps in access, participation, and learning outcomes,” CMO said, adding that the programme will ensure the high school students get exposed to a curriculum based on the liberal arts and science philosophy.
“This is extremely important because students typically pick a “stream” – science, arts, or commerce – after their 10th grade and there are very limited opportunities for students to receive formal education on topics that are outside their stream. The programme has built the curriculum focusing on skills and knowledge they would not normally get in their classrooms,” CMO said.
“For the first time this kind of a programme of global standard is being conducted for high school students and teachers from public high schools in the State. This will bring in a cross-cultural learning experience built on the scientific process and is focused on the liberal arts and sciences philosophy,” CMO said.
