Vigyan Jyoti Program (VJP) is one of the most ambitious initiatives of the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Govt. of India, with the ultimate objective of increasing gender parity in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). To achieve this goal, the VJP mandates/implements valuable interventions at the school level through mentoring and training of the young meritorious girls in STEM.
A new App has been jointly launched by Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti and EY Foundation to create a virtual global community of girls in STEM. EY Foundation signs MoU with Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti; launches the EY STEM app across 200 Vigyan Jyoti Program (VJP) schools. This gamified mobile app for girls aged 13-18 years was launched to ensure women have equal chances to enter, remain, and thrive in the science & technology industry.
EY STEM app is designed to help young girls engage in the STEM curriculum and pursue high growth career in Technology sector. The app aims to reach 10,000 girl students under the Vigyan Jyoti program. The partnership between Vigyan Jyoti Program schools under the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti and EY Foundation has been facilitated by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA). EY aims to inspire 100,000 girls globally in 2022 to pursue a career in STEM with the EY STEM app.
Vigyan Jyoti Program (VJP) is one of the most ambitious initiatives of the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Govt. of India, with the ultimate objective of increasing gender parity in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). To achieve this goal, the VJP mandates/implements valuable interventions at the school level through mentoring and training of the young meritorious girls in STEM.
The free-to-use app connects user with a wide range of learning activities, from exploring new technologies, such as AI and blockchain, to learning how design thinking can help solve some of the world’s toughest challenges. Supported by inspirational stories of pioneering women, the app aims to nurture confidence and competence in STEM, and develop capabilities such as critical thinking and problem-solving, creativity and systems thinking, and social skills and teamwork.
“As the Prime Minister noted in a meeting on National Education Policy 2020, multiple initiatives have been set up to achieve the policy’s objectives of ‘access, equity, inclusivity and quality. For successful implementation of various initiatives with these objectives underlying them, partnerships between the government and industry will be crucial to intensify the impact. The partnership between Ministry of Education’s Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti and the EY Foundation is timely and exemplary in this direction. I extend congratulations on behalf of my office on the launch of the EY STEM app to all partners involved,” remarked Prof. Ajay Sood, PSA, to the Government of India.
Santosh Pathak – Head, EY Foundation, said, “With the EY STEM app, we endeavor to stimulate young minds to learn and pursue high-growth STEM careers and attain their potential to become future leaders. With this partnership with Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, we hope to make the EY STEM app more accessible and motivate many girls to embrace STEM learning in their higher studies in the coming years.”
The Vigyan Jyoti Program (VJP), launched by the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India in 2019, is a flagship initiative to encourage meritorious girls, particularly from Class IX to Class XII, to pursue a career in STEM fields, where women are under-represented. The DST’s implementing partner for the VJP is the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, an autonomous body of the Ministry of Education, Government of India.
DST also has several other women-centric initiatives under the umbrella scheme “Women in Science and Engineering-KIRAN (WISE-KIRAN)” to provide different kinds of opportunities to women in the Science & Technology domain. The programs under WISE-KIRAN scheme promote STEM careers amongst women and address their various challenges.
India Science Wire
ISW/USM/PSA-DST/Vigyan-Jyoti/Eng/19/07/2022
