Mumbai, Oct 30: As India conquers new frontiers in space missions, a pioneering space academy named in honour of the Indian origin astronaut Kalpana Chawla was inaugurated in picturesque Lonavala on Saturday.
The Kalpana Chawla Space Academy (KCSA), the first-of-its-kind space academy for school students, was launched at Advocate Bapusaheb Bhonde High School, Lonavala, as part of India’s former President and Missile Man Dr A P J Abdul Kalam’s mission to fulfil his dream of spreading science education across the country.
Dr Anil Kakodkar, former chairman BARC, Department of Atomic Energy, was the chief guest.
The objective of this ground-breaking initiative is to nurture and train school students in space education through a residential programme.
KCSA will induct students from Class VII, based on a pan-India entrance test and a series of other selection rounds, into a four-year residential programme.
The programme, with a strong emphasis on vocational training in space sciences, is in line with the National Education Policy (NEP 2020) that prioritises vocational skill development among school students.
Renowned names in the field of space science and technology will provide students with learning, mentorship and exposure to the global space community.
The academy has already begun the training of a special batch of 25 students from Adv Bapusaheb Bhonde High School in the current academic year following a rigorous selection process. The batch began on September nine.
KCSA is also mulling to extend its residential programme to six years, that is till Class XII, to create a
continuous long-term career path for its students.
The academy’s extensive curriculum covers science and mathematics, astronomy, remote-sensing, rocketry, robotics, STEM, environmental science, biodiversity, astro-physiology and Sanskrit.
The subjects are taught through activity-based modules and over 200 experiments.
The academy also uses creative mediums like puppetry and drama to reinforce learning, a press release said here.
