Islamabad
The sprawling desert of Thar became the centre of scientific creativity as the talent and interest of students of remote and small city of Mithi stunned visitors at the two-day Science Festival which ended Thursday.
Natasha, a 5th-grader, impressed the visitors and officials when she, in Sindhi language, explained the step-by-step process of a water filtration device using simple materials such as sand, charcoal and gravel.
“This little girl is a shining example of the talented students of Thar and is also a ray of hope for water-starved Thar where many have also died from various waterborne diseases” said Sadia Hussain, a visitor.
The talent and scientific knowledge of the schoolchildren at the first-ever Thar Science Festival has proven to be an eye-opener for officials and politicians who hardly paid attention to people of Thar and adjoining areas. Thar region is mostly known for its water-deficient desert where poverty-hit families and children have no access to clean water or health services.
“The aim of the Thar Science Festival is to highlight the potential of Thar region and motivate kids toward science and mathematics” according to Farhad Jalal of Alif Ailan, one of the organisers of the fair.
The first ever two-day Thar Science Festival which began on Wednesday in Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Cultural Complex in Mithi, the capital of Tharparkar District in Sindh province, was organised by Thar Education Alliance (TEA) in collaboration with Alif Ailan and other organisations working in Thar.
The event was inaugurated by DCO Thar Dr Abdul Hafeez Sial and chief of TEA Partab Shiviani and the chief monitoring officer in Thar, Samiullah Sanjarani.
Students of 73 government and private schools participated in the festival where they exhibited more than 120 science models displaying their passion for science and technology.
On the first day, the fair attracted a massive audience of 6,000 students from more than 100 government and private schools of Thar district. Hundreds of teachers, entrepreneurs, science specialists, government officials and local political leaders also rushed to the festival.
The talented Thar students mostly focused on Science and Maths which surprised their teachers and visitors. At one booth, two students Rahul and Laksh, students of grade 6 at Amar Jagdeesh High School North Colony in Mithi, demonstrated a volcano eruption in a fitting manner, attracting many visitors.
The science fair featured interactive displays and live experiments, some of which involved lunar and solar observatories, robotics, and 3D printing. The presentation was possible with the help and support from science organisations Learn-o-Bots, Advon, Science Fuse, Robotech and Pakistan Science Foundation.
The efforts by students is all the more commendable given the limited resources at their disposal. A local student of primary government school in Mithi complained that their school had no science lab but he still managed to make his model entirely on his own.
At the festival, local teachers, officials and NGO leaders have once again called upon the local administration, particularly politicians, to pay proper attention to the needs of student in view of their keen interest in science and technology.
Impressed by the interest and performance of the students, chief monitoring officer of Thar Samiullah Sanjrani has promised to recommend to the Sindh Government special funds for education.
Earlier, a maths and science test for grades 4 to 12 students was held in which around 4,000 students participated. The award ceremony for students who participated in the test and the models competition at the festival was held on Thursday on the conclusion of the festival.
