HYDERABAD: The School Education department on Friday held a review meeting on Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL), ICT infrastructure and science education.

Several key decisions aimed at strengthening STEM education and digital infrastructure in schools across the state were taken during the meeting.

Among the major decisions, the department proposed allocating Rs 50,000 as operational funds to each District Science Officer (DSO) to facilitate district-level science and innovation activities. It was also decided to implement travel allowance facilities for DSOs on the lines of the Andhra Pradesh model.

In a major push towards digital connectivity, the department announced that internet services through T-Fibre or BSNL would be provided to all science laboratories and high schools equipped with computing devices by August 2026.

To strengthen digital learning, a teacher handbook on integrating the school curriculum with ATL activities, jointly developed by UNICEF and Samagra Shiksha, will be printed and distributed to schools and teachers across the state.

The meeting also emphasised community and institutional participation. Vardhaman College of Engineering will deploy student volunteers to support STEM education and ATL laboratory activities in schools.

On teacher capacity building, the Director of SCERT will coordinate an advanced training visit to Pune for all DSOs within the next two months. The programme will focus on advanced science and technology pedagogy.

District-level training sessions will also be conducted after the census period, while virtual training programmes will continue in the interim, a senior Education department official said.