Pres Ali tasks St Stanislaus College with launching innovation fund to lead in STEM, AI, climate solutions

President Dr Irfaan Ali has tasked the management of St Stanislaus College with establishing an innovation fund to boost that school’s capability to lead in the areas of science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), entrepreneurship, business innovation, and artificial intelligence.
According to the Head of State, resources raised by the school would be used to fund students’ experimental prototypes, ideas of entrepreneurship, product development, and new scientific models.
Ali explained that this initiative would allow the school to lead in areas of environment, climate,
biodiversity studies, and in integrating the Low Carbon Development Strategy into the classroom lessons, thereby ensuring that students understand the importance of climate, food, and energy security.
“How can we create this innovation fund to encourage our students to be innovative, and then helping those students to take that innovation – whatever they discover…and make it commercially viable?” he asked.

  “And we should launch a competition within the school itself, not just to drive the innovation, but for this school to champion innovation, champion new product development, champion new technology, champion new software. That is what is going to shape who we are in this institution long into the future,” President Ali shared.
The Head of State was at the time addressing those gathered at the commissioning ceremony for the $51 million refurbished Herbert Feeny Physics and Chemistry Laboratories and the Richard Harford Staff Room on Tuesday. Government had contributed some $25.45 million to the project.
Development of a world-class hockey field at the school has also been touted, and Ali explained that Government’s vision for the school would result in the shaping of tomorrow’s leaders who are well equipped to tackle global challenges.
“And what we have to do is identify students who are talented in these areas, and who we can, at a very early stage, shape to go on and take leadership in these areas. So, to meet these challenges, we need a new generation of graduates (who are) proficient in STEM education. It is not enough to have dreams of progress; you must have the skills and knowledge to build those dreams into reality. And where better to start than here, within the walls of St. Stanislaus College, where a legacy of excellence already exists?” Ali declared.
“This is something that I see in many institutions across the globe. In India, where the concentration is on STEM, in the colleges, out of the innovation fund, they have what you call the business development grants, and that is where the innovation fund must lead to. So, when we have students who can come up with a creative idea here, we must be able to work with them on making that idea viable through the process of building out that idea, so that it can become a growing asset for them,” the Head of State explained.

Expansion of school
Education Minister Priya Manickchand has meanwhile announced the expansion of this school in 2025. She said infrastructure works would include a three-storey building comprising labs and classrooms, and a new auditorium which would be accompanied by a large dining area.
“This entire block, stretching all the way to where the building ends – well, the compound ends – will have a three-storey addition to the school; where all of this will be demolished, and classrooms, labs and staff space will be provided along with other amenities. This auditorium is going to be pushed back, so that we have a stage with dressing rooms and a bigger space here. And we’re looking to see if we could put a second storey here, where we can have a dining room common area for students,” she detailed.
“We feel very confident that if we were to do physical infrastructure; train your teachers — 100 percent of your teachers will be trained — retain them; and we got — we know extra training went into the teachers at this school — provide the resources like textbooks and lab equipment; give the grants (to) the parents, so that they’re easier able to look after their children; that we’re going to see, coming out of each and every child in this school, Irfaan Ali multiplied by how many hundreds come out of your school,” Minister Manickchand has said.