Baramulla’s  ‘Innovative Teacher’ Selected for India International  Science Festival 2025 Again

Suhail Khan

Chandigarh, Dec 06: Reyaz Ahmad Ganai, an educator at Government Boys Middle School Sheeri Payeen in Zone Fathegarh, Baramulla, has achieved a rare distinction with his selection for the nationally competitive India International Science Festival (IISF) 2025.

This marks his second selection for the prestigious festival, following his participation in IISF 2023 and the National Technology Week 2024 cohort.

Ganai has been formally chosen as a featured delegate for the upcoming festival, solidifying his status as a leading practitioner in STEM education reform. His initial selection in 2023 placed him within the exclusive “Aspiring India National Science Teachers’ Workshop,” a capacity-building initiative focused on enhancing scientific pedagogy and innovative instructional methodologies at the grassroots level.

For IISF 2025, 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 place among the top 200 selected participants. The flagship event, themed “Vigyan Se Samruddhi – For Atmanirbhar Bharat,” will be convened at IITM-Pune.

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.

Speaking exclusively with Kashmir Convener, Reyaz Ahmad Ganai highlighted the strategic importance of systemic support in his journey.

“I am profoundly grateful to Zonal Education Officer Fatehgarh, Tanvir Aga; my Head of Institution at Government Boys Middle School Sheeri Payeen, Sheikh Haroon; my colleagues; and the authorities including the Chief Education Officer Baramulla, the Director of School Education Kashmir, DIET Sopore, and JKSCERT,” Ganai said. “They provided the critical opportunity and platform to exhibit and hone my professional skills as a mentor, enabling me to guide innovative students.”

The educator further outlined the broader implications of his selection. “This 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, schools in these areas can become significant contributors to the national STEM pipeline.”

Ganai’s professional portfolio includes a proven track record of mentoring student innovators to success in programs such as 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. A senior district education officer noted, “Mr. Ganai’s repeated national-scale selection is a powerful data point. It effectively deconstructs the periphery-center 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.”

Speaking with Kashmir Convener Saima Jan Government teacher said that Ganai’s upcoming participation in IISF 2025 is viewed as a collective milestone for the Baramulla education sector.

She said It is expected to further catalyze 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 organized by the Ministry of Science & Technology, the 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.