- 20 Indian school students and 2 teachers flagged off for Japan under the Sakura Science High School Programme 2025, promoting NEP-aligned global exposure.
- Delegation includes students from remote regions like Andaman & Nicobar, Ladakh, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura; backed by Ministry of Education and NCERT.
- Programme aims to blend science immersion with cultural exchange, reinforcing NEP 2020’s focus on holistic, experiential learning abroad.
India's National Education Policy (NEP) vision is gaining international momentum as 20 talented school kids and two teachers are leaving for Japan to participate in the Sakura Science High School Programme 2025. The Department of School Education and Literacy of the Ministry of Education formally sent off the students in Delhi, which was headed by Secretary Shri Sanjay Kumar and highlighted the significance of the project in developing innovation and cultural relationships between India and Japan.
The team seven boys and thirteen girls is made up of students from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and government schools from six regions: Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Ladakh, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura. Apart from the students, two veteran supervisors will join them to provide a seamless and enriching experience.
Organized between June 15 and 21, 2025, the Sakura Science High School Programme is organized by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), currently in its twelfth year as the Japan‑Asia Youth Exchange Programme in Science. With India's addition in 2016, over 619 Indian students and 91 teachers have participated in this experiential education exchange.
The initiative is intended to put the participants in the midst of Japan's state‑of‑the‑art scientific environment and rich cultural heritage with a combination of laboratory visits, hands‑on demonstrations, contacts with Japanese students, and immersion in the host country's traditions. Deputy Secretary Archana Sharma Awasthi and NCERT Joint Director Prof. Prakash Chandra Agrawal also graced the press briefing, reiterating the strong institutional collaborate approach.
Pointing to the connection with national policy, Shri Sanjay Kumar referred to the stress in the NEP 2020 on holistic, experiential learning incorporating several disciplines and extending beyond the confines of classrooms. He underlined that outbound interactive programmes to places of historical, cultural, and scientific relevance are in complete harmony with NEP objectives.
This edition of Sakura Science represents India's largest participation to date, solidifying the country's dedication to building a future generation of global thinkers. The students are anticipated to return more scientifically enriched and with stronger intercultural knowledge, further fueling India's pursuit to export the NEP vision worldwide.
