STEM Fest Sparks Girl Students' Interest in Science and Technology in Rampal
A poster on artificial intelligence was created by tenth-grade student Pratibha Roy of Perikhali Model Secondary School in Rampal Upazila. Pratibha is aware that in the near future, skilled individuals in artificial intelligence will dominate the workforce. Therefore, in addition to her classroom studies, she has taken training in robotics and programming and participated in contests at the STEM Fest.
Like Pratibha, more than 150 students from Rampal Upazila took part in the STEM and ICT Skills for the Girls of Coastal Areas project, organized by the Bangladesh Freedom Foundation in Rampal, Bagerhat. The event was held under the auspices of the project and featured various competitions in science and technology.
The day-long STEM Fest-2025 was hosted at the Perikhali Model Secondary School grounds and included programming contests, science-based project exhibitions, poster presentations on innovative ideas, and robotics competitions. Students from seven secondary schools in Rampal Upazila participated in the activities. These schools include Perikhali Model High School, Borkatali Multipurpose High School, Jhonjhonia Secondary School, Dakra Multipurpose Secondary School, Rampal Pilot Secondary School, Shreephal Tala Secondary School, and Perikhali Dakhil Madrasa.
In the robotics contest, Perikhali school’s tenth-grade student Umme Hasiba Arna was disappointed when the motor of her robot didn’t function properly. However, she vowed to practice more to improve. On the other hand, after attending teacher training under the STEM project, Siam, a student of Jhonjhonia Secondary School, tried making a line-following robot using a robotics kit provided by the Upazila authorities. Additionally, six female students from Perikhali Madrasa won awards for their automatic light projects presented during the event.
The closing ceremony of the event was graced by the Assistant Commissioner of Land, Mr. Aftab Ahmed, as the chief guest. Also present at the prize distribution ceremony were the Upazila Secondary Education Officer Mr. S.A. Anwarul Kuddus, Project Manager of the STEM project Shakira Afruz, former teacher of Perikhali Model Secondary School Alhaj Sheikh Sultan, Headmaster of Borkatali Secondary School Anadi Roy, Headmaster of Perikhali Model Secondary School Shankar Kumar Saha, and teachers from other schools.
In the closing ceremony, Chief Guest Mr. Aftab Ahmed stated, "The enthusiastic participation of students in this fest has inspired me. If such events are held regularly, it will help maintain students' continuity in learning." In his special remarks, Mr. S.A. Anwarul Kuddus, the Upazila Secondary Education Officer, urged the schools to organize such events regularly using their own funds, without relying solely on the project.
The project aims to develop skills in technology and science among students, particularly girls, from Perikhali Model High School and Borkatali Multipurpose High School in Rampal Upazila. As part of this initiative, the project has been organizing skill development workshops to prepare students, especially girls, for careers in technology. The STEM Fest was organized to encourage students to engage in technology and science-based activities. During the festival, the guests visited around 16 science projects created by young students. Tamanna Akter, a student from Borkatali Multipurpose High School, said, "Our initiative is not just for the competition, but it is the first step toward becoming skilled in technology in the future."
This initiative is part of the Bangladesh government's commitment to achieving sustainable development goals by ensuring the participation of girls, especially from coastal areas and marginalized communities, in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Supported by the Malala Fund and in collaboration with the Bangladesh Open Source Network, the project is providing skill-enhancing training and activities in science, mathematics, programming, and robotics to girls in six secondary schools in the coastal areas of Rupsa in Khulna, Rampal in Bagerhat, and Tala in Satkhira.
