Sanjay Kumar, Secretary of the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSE&L), commenced the event by promoting 64 enthusiastic students from Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) to visit Japan in a ceremony at CIET-NCERT. These students hailing from 11 states, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Odisha, Ladakh, Uttar Pradesh, and Goa were invited by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) to participate in the Sakura Science High School Programme 2023, alongside students from other countries. The program is scheduled to take place from December 10 to December 16, 2023, and the group comprises 26 boys and 38 girls.
To broaden the intellectual horizons and foster a sense of scientific curiosity in young learners, the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), in collaboration with the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSE&L) under the Ministry of Education, has been executing the Sakura Science High School Programme as part of the Sakura Science Programme (SSP) since 2014. This initiative invites students for brief visits to Japan, providing them with the chance to explore Japan's state-of-the-art advancements in science and technology, along with experiencing its rich cultural heritage.
India joined the program for the first time in April 2016, and since then, a total of 468 students and 75 supervisors have participated in visits to Japan through this program. The most recent group of 57 students undertook their trip in July 2023. The National Education Policy (NEP) of 2020 underscores the significance of Curriculum and Pedagogy in Schools, advocating for a holistic, integrated, enjoyable, and engaging approach to learning. Furthermore, the NEP 2020 emphasizes the adoption of experiential learning as a standard pedagogy at all educational stages, encouraging the exploration of relationships among different subjects.
