IIT Gandhinagar Launches Climate Programme For 1,000 Schools

GANDHINAGAR: Climate education is moving out of textbooks and into classrooms across Gujarat, with IIT Gandhinagar’s Centre for Creative Learning (CCL) launching a hands-on programme aimed at 1,000 municipal schools in the state.

The initiative, launched in collaboration with the Gujarat government, targets students of Grades 6 to 8 and is currently being implemented in municipal schools across Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat and Aravalli district. The programme is aligned with Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment).

Rather than relying on conventional classroom lessons, CCL is using experiential learning to help students understand climate and sustainability by observing, measuring and experimenting with their immediate surroundings.

Under the programme, participating schools connect with IIT Gandhinagar online twice a month. Students have already built their own rain gauges, wind vanes and anemometers during the first two sessions.

These instruments are now being used by students to record rainfall and wind patterns in their neighbourhoods, effectively turning classrooms into miniature weather stations. The collected data allows students to analyse real-time local weather conditions instead of depending only on information provided in textbooks.

The initiative aims to make environmental science more engaging and relatable while encouraging students to reconnect with nature and develop sustainable habits.

Specialised kits have also been developed for the upcoming sessions. Students will use them to identify common sources of pollution and explore environmentally friendly alternatives.

They will also design and create sustainable products using locally available materials, linking climate concepts to everyday activities.

CCL officials said the programme is designed to make students active participants in environmental learning rather than passive recipients of information.

The large-scale initiative seeks to embed climate and environmental literacy into students’ daily lives and encourage sustainable practices beyond school.

By directly connecting municipal classrooms with IIT Gandhinagar, the programme aims to give thousands of children across Gujarat practical exposure to climate science and empower them to become more environmentally responsible citizens.