Four months ago, Numan Tanveer and Muqeem Muhammad, both 10th-class students of Government Boys Higher Secondary School Sopore shared the idea of Solar Power Drone with their teacher. The teacher approved the idea and now theyare working on the project of which half work is completed.

“We have designed it and given it a proper shape. There are some wire connections pending which we are learning. It would be completed within a month,” said Numan. He said most of the drones work on cells and this one would be charged while working.

Numan said that they started working on the project at the Atal Tinkeing Lab (ATL) and their teachers have been helping them a lot in the project. “I am also planning to add robot to the Solar Power Drone so that it can work without human interference,” he said.

Another student Mumin Mehraj, of 11^th class commerce stream has been working on Power Generation Project for which they have made artificial waterfall to learn power generation. 

“The students are taught as per their interest and teachers also encourage the ideas. This will help to do more and more projects in the school,” he said.

The school has been at forefront to encourage the junior ignited minds to combine the creativity and logic by offering them ‘do-it-yourself’ kits at the ATL workplace that contains the equipment related to robotics, electronics, science, 3D printer, sensors etc.

The institution has been making 'tinkering' a part of school curriculum and connecting it with related subjects the guidance of its teachers who have been working on different projects.

The students are also working on other projects like alarm for overgrazing by animals in crops, laser distance move for beginner drivers, solar water purifier and automation overheating room sensor etc. 

Principal of the school, Abdul Rashid said that they look forward to the effective implementation of ATL program and help promote better learning outcomes and inculcate relevant future skills.

He maintained that ATL are challenging incumbent education system and the goals and vision of ATL movement tie with the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP) and plays a pivotal role in implementing the ' experiential and project based learning model.

The ATL incharge Dr Ishfaq Maqbool said that the students are learning more effectively in a flexible environment by empowering themselves with skills of inventiveness, critical thinking, design thinking, social and cross cultural collaboration.

“The program initiated in the school, triggered by recently held official inauguration of the lab areintended to keep an option for AI as a vocational subject which is reinforcing the learning outcomes of tinkering, fostering curiosity, creativity and imagination in young minds; and inculcating skills to use these technologies effectively and responsibly in a technology-led environment,” he said. 

Ishfaq said that students are being introduced to different levels of tinkering which includes experience design thinking and ideation to develop new perspectives towards social and community problems.

“It is more important to identify and understand a problem in our routine domain, only  then the young minds would be curious and able to find scientific solutions,” he said.

With the growing demands, the institute is ready to do its bit that promotes futuristic skills by inculcating scientific temperament like complex problem-solving, adaptive learning and computational skills among the children.

“By providing access to various ATL resources, students can come up with innovative and practical solutions for problem thriving in the community,” he said.

ATL motivates a developing mind set not only for students of class Xl & Xll, but also for students of class lX & X and helping them to graduate all the levels of tinkering in the lab. 

“They test their ideas and follow “learning by doing” approach and  students are confronted to new technologies and concepts of computational thinking,” said Zahoor Ahmad, a teacher.

Established in 1916, the Govt. Boys' Higher Secondary School has been striving not only to cater the learning needs of students but also reinforce hard and smart work, success and social responsibility in each realm at multiple levels.

The principal said the unique government institution has been playing a pivotal role different from the erstwhile times.

“The school commits itself to achieve and sustain excellence in imparting holistic education.  With possession of 1300+ students and utilisation of 50 teachers' potentialities, the students of the institute have been doing wonders in various fields,” he said. 

This year one of the former student of the school Tassaduq Hussain qualified the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), a centralized national level entrance test for admissions to twenty two National Law Universities in India.

He got 23rd rank in Jammu and Kashmir. Later, Tassaduk also topped the BA LLB entrance of University of Kashmir held in August.

“Students should do well in their studies and manage the 24 hours effectively. Apart from studies student should need to develop their personality and learn public speaking and participate in workshops and conferences that add to the personality,” he said.

Recently, Adnan Bashir of 12th class brought laurels to the institute by bagging first rank (Gold Medal) in Cycling Rally Event at Showkat Ali Stadium Baramulla. He also got second rank in ‘Pedal for Peace’ event held by JKP and won silver. Notably, one of its student won gold at BHSS Baramulla in tug of war.

The principal said effective parents meetings were held to ensure wide participation of all stakeholders in school management and to establish, review educational goals.

Sufeena Bano, a teacher working at BHSS Sopore was awarded with ‘The Best Teacher’ this year for her exemplary work by Sub-Divisional Administration on August 15, 2022.