Government school student visits Japan on an educational tour

Class 12 student Gopikasri from Erode visited Japan on educational tour, exploring science and technology with peers nationwide.

K. Gopikasri, a Class 12 student at Government Higher Secondary School in Vellithiruppur, Erode district, was one of 21 students from across the country who recently visited Japan on an educational tour.

The Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), in collaboration with the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL) under the Union Ministry of Education, organised the tour as part of the Sakura Science Programme (SSP) to foster scientific exploration among students.

Students pursuing biology and mathematics from Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV), Nethaji Subhash Chandra Bose Residential Schools, and Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) schools across the country were selected for the visit.

Gopikasri, who previously studied at Government High School in Mukasipudur, Ammapettai Union, and stayed at the KGBV Girls’ Hostel, scored 476 out of 500 in her Class 10 board exams in the 2022-23 academic year, the highest mark among students in 44 KGBV hostels in the state. She was one of three students chosen from the state, the other two from Salem and Krishnagiri.

After an orientation programme in Delhi on June 15, the students visited Japan from July 16 to 22, alongside their peers from Maldives, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Kazakhstan. They experienced Japan’s advanced science and technology, culture, and visited a car manufacturing unit, a high school, a museum, and a railway park, travelling by bullet train. The visit to Delhi was coordinated by the State Project Directorate of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).

Sharing her experience, Gopikasri said that during her visit to Nagoya University, she observed innovative teaching methods and the interactive approach in classrooms.

On Thursday, Collector Raja Gopal Sunkara felicitated her at the Erode Collectorate.