islamabad

Tapping into schools: children are combating water pollution. Credit: AP/SHAMIK BANERJEE

Next January, while the senior figures of Indian science gather for the National Science Congress in Madras, the city will be hosting a parallel science congress for children.

For the past five years, India's National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) has been experimenting with an unusual method of science communication. Children from schools in almost every district of India are being encouraged to undertake research projects. The best are shown at the annual children's congress.

The idea, says B. K. Tyagi of the NCSTC, is to give children a feel for how science works, to encourage them to consult experts, “and to show them that they can use the tools of research to change their own lives”.

This year, some 11,000 schools from 450 districts are taking part. Projects can be submitted in any of India's 18 official languages. They are assessed according to four criteria: the nature of the problem, its relevance to local communities, the quality of the written report, and the oral presentation.

Tyagi says that, unexpectedly, schools in rural areas come up with some of the more innovative projects. One 13-year-old identified and eliminated the source of contamination in his village stream.

Elsewhere, children monitored air-pollution levels and persuaded the local authorities to take remedial action.