CBSE, IIT-Gandhinagar to launch online series ‘Eklavya’ to demystify science, maths concepts

NEW DELHI: Why did Olympian Neeraj Chopra throw the javelin at 36 degrees even though textbooks say that a projectile goes the farthest at 45 degrees? IIT-Gandhinagar and CBSE’s online educational programme ‘3030 Eklavya’ will have the answer.

A similar programme last year called “3030 STEM” got around one crore views on their online platform and became popular among students, teachers and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) enthusiasts.
Online sessions of ‘3030 Eklavya’ will be held every Sunday afternoon starting September 26. The programme will touch on topics from the science and mathematics curriculum for classes six to 12 and help in conceptual understanding of difficult topics through interesting questions.

“The episodes will cover the curriculum with interesting context and stories. For example, the first episode on Newton’s Laws of Motion will talk about why Neeraj Chopra threw the javelin at 36 degrees and Paris Gun launched cannonball at 55 degrees even though according to the textbook a projectile goes the farthest at 45 degrees,” said Manish Jain, Head of Centre for Creative Learning (CCL), IIT-Gandhinagar.


Paris Guns were long-range German siege guns used to bombard Paris during World War One.


“Another episode on Force will talk about the forces acting on a drop of water exiting a sprinkler (which you can make yourself) and whether it goes in a spiral or a parabolic path.


“The episodes will be a combination of science as well as math concepts. In yet another episode, there will be a discussion about pi in straight lines and how you can find this miraculous number in the leaves on a footpath,” he added.


Jain explained that the programme’s goal is to nurture creativity, out-of-box thinking, conceptual understanding and learning “how to learn”.


“With the rise of AI (artificial intelligence) and machine learning, future jobs would require competency-based learning and these higher-order skills, which cannot come from rote learning prevalent today. The joyful and creative paradigm of learning is essential to bring back the gleam in the eyes of students,” he said.

The National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, envisions drastic and much-needed reforms in the education system. Implementing it, however, might seem intimidating for school teachers and administrators, Jain said.


“The CBSE and IIT-Gandhinagar are trying to fill this gap with the ‘Eklavya’ series, demystify NEP and showcase how to implement the policy in schools effectively. In that light, it will be helpful for our teachers and students to register and participate in this programme,” he added.


The series will contain numerous hands-on activities, projects and models which help in conceptual understanding of difficult topics; interesting questions, assignments that promote out-of-box creative thinking and inspiring DIY project videos using local material which relate curriculum to life.


“The content will be of varying levels and will cover topics in the science and math curriculum of classes six to 12.


“Therefore, students from these grades should avail this opportunity to register and participate for conceptual clarity and joyful learning. This will not only help in the exams but also equip students to develop scientific temper, better navigate their lives and make informed decisions,” said Gaurav Kumar Yadav, co-founder of CCL.