Chandigarh: In a testament to sustained pedagogical innovation, Reyaz Ahmad Ganai, an educator at Government Boys Middle School Sheeri Payeen, Zone Fathegarh Baramaulla, has achieved a rare double selection for the nationally competitive India International Science Festival (IISF).
Following his participation in the IISF 2023 and National Technology Week 2024 cohort, Ganai has now been formally selected as a featured delegate for the IISF 2025, solidifying his status as a leading practitioner in STEM education reform.
Ganai’s initial selection for IISF 2023 placed him within the exclusive “Aspiring India National Science Teachers’ Workshop,” a capacity-building initiative focused on enhancing scientific pedagogy and fostering innovative instructional methodologies at the grassroots level.
His recent selection for the 2025 festival is markedly more competitive. Ganai has been designated as an Innovative Educator** under the festival’s “Science Safari” track. His nomination emerged successfully from a pool of over 1,000 national applicants, earning him a position among the top 200 participants selected for the flagship event. IISF 2025 will be convened at IITM-Pune under the thematic banner “Vigyan Se Samruddhi – For Atmanirbhar Bharat.”
The “Science Safari” module is a strategic outreach initiative designed to deploy gamified and experiential learning frameworks. It aims to cultivate core competencies in problem-solving, collaborative project design, and the applied integration of STEM principles with national developmental goals, aligning with the broader Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.
In an exclusive statement, Reyaz Ahmad Ganai highlighted the strategic importance of systemic support in his journey. “This consecutive recognition validates a pedagogical model, but its execution is a collaborative effort. I am highly grateful to Zonal Education Office Fatehgarh Tanvir Aga, my Head of the Institution at Government Boys Middle School Sheeri Payeen, Sheikh Haroon, my colleagues, and authorities including Chief Education Office Baramulla, Director School Education Kashmir, DIET Sopore, and JKSCERT. They provided the critical opportunity and platform to exhibit and hone my professional skills as a mentor, enabling me to guide innovative students across the board,” he added.
The educator further noted the broader implications: “This selection provides a national platform to advocate for sustained institutional investment in professional development, particularly for educators in remote regions. It demonstrates that with the right support framework, these schools can become significant contributors to the national STEM pipeline.”
Ganai’s professional portfolio is distinguished by a proven track record of mentoring student innovators to success in programs including the INSPIRE Awards-MANAK, the Invent India Challenge, and the prestigious SAKURA Science Exchange Programme with Japan.
Educational stakeholders have hailed the achievement as a significant indicator of systemic potential. “Mr Ganai’s repeated national-scale selection is a powerful data point,” noted a senior district education officer. “It effectively deconstructs the periphery-centre paradigm, proving that with dedicated human capital, institutions in rural and border areas can become hubs of pedagogical excellence and contribute directly to the national STEM human resource pipeline.”
The upcoming participation in IISF 2025 is viewed locally as a collective milestone for the Baramulla education sector, expected to further catalyse community engagement with scientific learning and inspire a new cohort of educators to adopt innovative teaching practices.
The India International Science Festival is a premier annual event organised by the Ministry of Science & Technology, Ministry of Earth Sciences and the Ministry of Education, Government of India, in partnership with Vijnana Bharati. It serves as a national platform to celebrate scientific achievements and foster a culture of innovation.