Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood and former India cricketer Shikhar Dhawan inaugurated a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) laboratory at Dr BR Ambedkar CM Shri School in Janakpuri on October 9.

The laboratory has been established under the Shikhar Dhawan Foundation’s STEM Shiksha initiative in collaboration with the Delhi government. It is the second such facility under the programme, which aims to expand technology-enabled learning in government schools and give students opportunities for practical experimentation beyond textbooks.

The inauguration was held under the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, organised to mark 25 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public service and promote citizen participation in the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.

What will the STEM lab offer?

The laboratory is intended to give students a dedicated space to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics through hands-on activities. The foundation's STEM Shiksha programme builds on its Digital Shiksha initiative, which focuses on technology-enabled education in Delhi government schools.

Speaking at the inauguration, Sood said the labs would allow students to learn through experience, exploration and experimentation rather than relying solely on textbooks. He also encouraged Dhawan and his foundation to expand the initiative to more government schools in Delhi.

Dhawan, chairperson of Da One Group and founder of the Shikhar Dhawan Foundation, said the programme aimed to make digital education more accessible to students. He also acknowledged Sportskeeda as the laboratory's corporate social responsibility (CSR) partner.

32 Class 9 girls receive bicycles

The event also saw the distribution of free bicycles to 32 Class 9 girl students under the Delhi government's Vidya Vahini Scheme.

The scheme aims to support girls' access to education by helping them travel to school. According to The Tribune, the Delhi government plans to distribute bicycles to approximately 1.40 lakh Class 9 girls across the capital, with nearly 20,000 bicycles delivered at the time of the report.

The STEM laboratory and bicycle distribution were presented as initiatives to support practical learning, digital education and access to schooling in Delhi's government schools.