Malappuram’s little scholars make impact with research journal

Peace Public School, Kottakkal, had a unique convocation on Saturday. The school convoked 18 of its young scholars who conducted scientific researches in various subjects and published their findings in an academic journal.

The ‘Little minds, big ideas: a journal of Peace research’ published by the school can match any research journal published at a higher level. Academic experts in different subjects guided the students in their research.

The 18 student researchers are from classes 8, 9, and 10. “It all matters on how we guide our children. Their potentials are immense, and their learning ability is beyond our imagination,” said Jouhar M., school principal and chief editor of the research journal.

Mr. Jouhar said the ‘Peace little scholar’ project, which helped high school students take up research projects in a professional manner, was the first of its kind in the country. “I have not seen any such serious research work coming out of any other school campus in the country,” he said.

K.K. Abid Husain Thangal, MLA, inaugurated the convocation. Former Chief Secretary V.P. Joy gave away degrees to the 18 student researchers.

A study on ‘Species richness of butterflies in Kottakkal’ by Rehan Shameer K. and Neha Nazar was adjudged the best synopsis. A study on ‘Relationship between perceived parenting style and Internet addiction among high school students’ by Aman Yousuf K., Neethulal V., and Mohammed Junaid won the special award for progressive evaluation.

A study on ‘The effectiveness of precautions in confronting the growing concern of stray dogs’ by Fayha C.K. and M. Rathi too won the special award for progressive evaluation.

‘Analysing climate change in the central Malabar region and developing an IoT-based weather monitoring system’ by Rihan Mohammed K. and Ratheesh Panampatta won the award for the best research paper.

Fayha Fathin P.P. from class 9 won the school chairman’s gold medal for her overall performance in research. Her research was on ‘Exploring the factors that affect body image perception of teenagers’.

Recognised research guides from colleges and universities helped the students. Another section of guides judged the theses.

Almas Hospitals group chairman P.A. Kabeer presided over the function. Kochi metro Sahodaya president Deepa Chandran was the chief guest. Malappuram Sahodaya president M. Abdul Nazar gave away the prizes.

“We began the ‘Peace little scholar’ project two years ago with the objective of inculcating curiosity and research skills among students. We hope this will inspire others,” said Mr. Jouhar.

K. Mohammed Basheer, former Vice-Chancellor of Calicut University, is the chief mentor of the programme. T.K. Favaz, associate professor at Indian Maritime University, Kolkata, is the chief adviser.

Published - January 14, 2025 01:51 am IST