25 students from rural schools in Pune have been selected to visit the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Among those selected is one inspirational story of a 12-year-old girl named Aditi Parthe, whose father is a daily wage porter in Pune.
According to a report by the Indian Express, Aditi travels 3.5 kilometers to reach her school in Pune’s Bhor taluka and walks the same way back to her maternal aunt’s home.
Notably, the report further states that no one in Aditi’s house owns a smartphone, and her school has no functional computers.
NASA Visit For Indian Students
As per reports, the NASA visit is part of an initiative by the Zilla Parishad, in collaboration with the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA).
The India Express report further clarified that in collaboration with the IUCAA, 75 students from Zila Parishad from classes 6 and 7 were selected through three stages of tests ending in August.
Aditi, a student of class 7, has never travelled via train, but has been selected to visit the NASA headquarters in the US.
Meanwhile, reports also state that the students are expected to embark on their journey to the US in October. Additionally, the passport and visa obtaining process is underway.
The students selected for the programme are from rural backgrounds and humble families. Thousands of students appeared for the first MCQ round, and the students selected had to give an online MCQ test. The last round was a personal interview at IUCAA, and questions ranging from maths and science were asked.