Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan (RAA)

Science, Technology and Innovation have emerged as the major drivers of national development globally. India, with its universalization of access in school education and expanding higher Education and Scientific institutions both under the government and private sectors, wants to give a direction to drive future innovations by encouraging children in exploration, discovery and innovation.

16

districts of Manipur reached

2,764

government schools in the Sports & PE programme

13,143

students on in-state excursion trips

₹65.7L

invested in excursion trips alone

WHY RAA

Turning Classroom Curiosity into a National Habit of Invention:

Two top scorers per school advance to district; two per district advance to state.

Science, Technology and Innovation have emerged as the major drivers of national development globally. With universal access to school education and an expanding base of higher-education and scientific institutions, India is giving direction to future innovation by encouraging children toward exploration, discovery and invention.

The Ministry of Education's Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan is a convergent framework nurturing a spirit of inquiry and creativity, a love for Science and Mathematics, and effective use of technology — supporting children who show an inclination for these subjects toward heights of academic excellence and research.

• Engage: Motivate children in Science, Maths & Technology through observation, experimentation and model building.
• Excite: Create curiosity and exploration among school children in SMT subjects.
• Inquire: Build a culture of thinking, tinkering and doing that promotes enquiry-based learning.
• Achieve: Raise learning levels appropriate to each class in Science and Mathematics.
• Incubate: Nurture schools themselves as incubators of innovation.

01 — Science Exhibition

Recycling Innovation & Waste Management:

507 upper-primary schools built projects under Science & Maths teacher guidance, judged up from district to state level.

Every district sent its strongest models to the State Level Science Exhibition, held in convergence with the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal, on 16 April 2025 at Jubilee Hall. Twelve districts participated physically; Churachandpur, Jiribam, Kamjong, Kangpokpi and Pherzawl joined virtually.

A three-member SCERT jury scored every model against seven criteria — relevance & accuracy, creativity & presentation, clarity, use of sustainable materials, interactivity, impact & awareness, and team collaboration — on a 28-point scale.

Alongside the exhibition, RIMS doctors ran an oral-health awareness session, "A Happy Mouth is a Happy Mind" — and the exhibition's own winning teams went on to build a dedicated oral-hygiene model, earning a separate RIMS-sponsored cash prize.

1st Kumbi Sandhong UPS · Bishnupur Khangembam Sonal & Nameirakpam Thoibi — ₹20,000

2nd Samushang Shantipur UPS · Wangoi Yumnam Rishata Devi & Huidrom Premjit Singh — ₹15,000

3rd Brahmapur UPS · Imphal East L. Momoko & N. Nganthoi Devi — ₹10,000

Cons. Kangasenbi · Thoubal, and Lamlang Gate UPS · Ukhrul. Two consolation teams — ₹5,000 each

02 — Quiz Competition

Artificial Intelligence, Put to the Test:

Two top scorers per school advance to district; two per district advance to state.

Science and Maths teachers groomed students on the theme "Artificial Intelligence", culminating in a written test at school level. The State Level Quiz Competition — again in convergence with RIMS, Imphal — was held on 16 April 2025 at Jubilee Hall, drawing participants from all 12 valley districts on-site and five hill districts virtually.

A written round on the day narrowed the field to four finalist teams: Chandel, Imphal East, Imphal West and Thoubal.

1st Japhou UPS · Chandel Ng. Ningshingam Patrick & Py. Hringniwar — ₹20,000

2nd Kameng UPS · Imphal East Th. Salainganbi & Kh. Lobella — ₹15,000

3rd Heirok Heitupokpi UPS · Thoubal E. Linthoi Devi & Th. Purnanda Singh — ₹10,000

Cons. Imphal West Meinam Yaisana S. & Linthoi Yambem

03 — Exposure Visit Outside State

Rashtra Katha Shivir, Rajkot:

67 students and teachers travelled to Gujarat.

Sixty-seven students, together with their teachers, took part in the Rashtra Katha Shivir at Rajkot, Gujarat, organised by the Shri Vedic Mission Trust. The programme aims to awaken and strengthen national spirit and pride in India's culture and history among the country's youth.

Through orations by renowned speakers, the camp built life skills and lifelong motivation — carrying Manipur's young innovators into a wider national conversation about identity and purpose.

04 — Excursion Trip Within State

Classrooms Extended into the Field:

Manipur Zoological Garden · Kangla Fort & Museum · State Museum · Science Centre & Aquarium · Loktak Lake · Keibul Lamjao National Park · hydro & dam projects · courts & the State Assembly

Excursion trips are a core part of the school curriculum, extending learning beyond the classroom and building students' knowledge of Manipur's flora, fauna and place in the wider ecosystem — a rich, first-hand source of ideas about their own state.

05 — School Mentoring by Higher Education Institutes

STEM Careers, Explained by the People Building Them:

Delivered in convergence with NIELIT Imphal, ITI and Women's Polytechnic, Manipur

Faculty mentors walked students through why Mathematics underpins Physics, Engineering, Economics and Computer Science alike, and how it sharpens the logical, critical-thinking skills needed for everyday problem-solving.

Sessions introduced modern IT tools — from e-commerce and digital marketing to e-learning platforms — and explored Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality as forces reshaping education, business and healthcare. Hands-on aptitude and reasoning exercises let students put the theory to immediate use.

06 — Student Exchange Programme

Sister Schools, Shared Discovery:

Conducted across all 16 districts, in collaboration with RIMS Pedodontics & Preventive Dentistry

The programme connects one school to a sister school — within or across districts — so children can visit another area, meet counterparts, and exchange ideas and culture. Activities ranged from Science debates and concept mapping to Maths relays and peer tutoring.

Between 100–150 students from classes 6–8, including children from Below-Poverty-Line families supported by the EMA Trust, took part per district alongside their teachers. Sessions on oral hygiene and hand-washing, led by RIMS dental faculty, paired health awareness with the academic programme — reinforced by Science and Mathematics competitions and take-home pamphlets.

School Safety Programme (Elementary) 2024–25

A Secure Classroom is the First Condition for Learning:

First-aid kits supplied to 2,428 elementary schools under Samagra Shiksha

Children spend more time at school than almost anywhere outside home, so a secure, positive environment is treated as a precondition for learning — not an afterthought. The state supplied first-aid kits to 2,428 elementary schools and printed a dedicated Safety & Security handbook for schools.

A two-day Training of Master Trainers at Johnstone Higher Secondary School equipped 80 District Resource Persons and officials from all 17 zonal districts. Each district then ran its own one-day teacher orientation, with full cooperation from district and zonal authorities.

Programme goals: raise teacher awareness of safety risks in elementary settings, build practical prevention and response skills, and foster classrooms that actively support student well-being.

Sports, Physical Education & Inclusive Sports Meet

2,764 Schools, One State Sports Meet:

An inclusive State Level Sports Meet was held in January 2025

Sports & Physical Education is treated as central to a child's holistic development — the only setting where every child, regardless of ability, gets to learn physical movement and stay active. Samagra Shiksha, Manipur funds facilities across 2,764 government schools, and FY 2024-25 culminated in an inclusive State Level Sports Meet.

LOOKING AHEAD

Every Model Built, Every Quiz Answered, Every Trip Taken is a Child Deciding Science Belongs to Them too:

From a district exhibition table to a national camp in Gujarat, Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan is stitching Manipur's schools into one continuous, hands-on invitation to inquire, build and discover.