When I travelled to Mumbai for a five-day Biology Olympiad Exposure and Training Workshop at the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), I expected to learn new methods of teaching biology. I returned with a larger concern about science education in Kashmir: our students may be missing opportunities simply because they and their teachers lack information about the right platforms.

The workshop, organised at a national centre of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, brought together science educators from different parts of India and neighbouring Nepal. Its sessions introduced us to practical experiments, new approaches to teaching and the standards expected of students who aspire to compete in national and international science Olympiads.

One revelation stood out: registration from Jammu and Kashmir for the official Olympiad programme was remarkably low. 

The sessions showed that many teachers and students lack awareness of these opportunities. Kashmir’s schools are full of curious young minds, and educators must help them find the right path.

I had arrived in Mumbai with my own misconceptions about the Olympiad system. Like many people in educational circles, I believed that several privately conducted examinations were the principal routes to international science competitions. Discussions with HBCSE experts helped me understand the distinction. 

The authentic National and International Science Olympiad programme is coordinated........

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