| Abstract: Anoopshahr, is a small town on the banks on river Ganges, in district Bulandshahr of the state of Uttar Pradesh. The whole region so far has had zero exposure to Astronomy. After joining Jaypee University Anoopshahr as a faculty in the Physics department, in February 2024, I have given a few introductory talks on Astronomy in my University and nearby colleges. I also organised visits of 4 eminent Astrophysicists, 2 of those visits were converted into one-day workshops, in my university and a nearby government college. It is interesting to note that despite the lack of exposure, there is immense interest in the subject matter. Inspite of the increase in digital access and the spread of social media, students are not aware of academic options and career opportunities related to Astronomy. In the past year, I also got the opportunity to visit schools in nearby districts, focused on interacting with XIIth standard students, informing them about the range of career options. Across schools, the moment it was mentioned that I am an Astronomer, students used to become quite inquisitive about the details of what it entails. According to my observation, although the students possess a sound understanding of Physics concepts, they do not make it to the institutions of eminence, to pursue their subject of interest, due to two factors. One is the lack of information, and this includes being unaware of the authentic sources of information. Second is the language barrier. Although higher education in largely in English-medium, majority of the schools are in Hindi-medium. Not having enough exposure to English makes them hesitant towards the perusal of several career choices. Both these challenges can be addressed through strategic planning. I would like to elaborate on these challenges and their possible solutions in my talk. |
