To seed and experience the joy of innovation among students, the Punjab Education Department will select at least five creative children for the “Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research” (INSPIRE) Award . The award envisions an investment of Rs 5,000 per child.

A spokesman for the department said the objective of the INSPIRE programme, initiated by the Union Ministry of Science and Technology, was to communicate to the youth excitements of creative pursuit of science, attract talent to the excitement to the study of science at an early stage.

Besides, it will help the country in building the required critical human resource pool for strengthening and expanding the science and technology system.

The spokesman said the department planned to offer this “innovation awards” every year to five brilliant children who thought outside the boundaries set by the school syllabus. Two students from each school in the age group of 10 to 17 years would be identified for the INSPIRE Award in order to invigorate scientific thinking, he added.

“The scheme plans to reach students of about 5,000 upper primary schools in the state and selected students will participate, along with their scientific innovations, at a state- level science exhibition to be held in the second week of April," he added. He further said all heads of government and affiliated schools from classes VI to X had been asked to submit nominations of two best creative students till January 10 to their DEOs concerned without any delay.

He emphasized that knowledge and innovation had emerged out as the vital keys for competitiveness and wealth creation in the fast evolving global economy and INSPIRE would open up the prospects of careers in research. Besides, it would also strengthen the roots of the knowledge infrastructure of Indian economy, he added.