About International Earth Sciences Olympiad:
- It was established in 2003 at the International Geoscience Education Organization Council Meeting in Calgary, Canada.
- It is an annual competition for secondary school studentsfrom across the globe.
- It aims to generate awareness of earth sciences through teamwork, collaboration, exchanging ideas, and competition.
- The overall vision is to generate interest among the young in various fields of earth system sciences, with a focus on promoting awareness and solution-centric discussions around environmental challenges.
- It is one of the most successful student-centric programs facilitated under the REACHOUT (Research, Education, Training and Outreach) scheme of the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
- India has participated in the IESO since 2007 and hosted its 10th edition in Mysore.
- India’s Initiative
- To encourage the participation of Indian students (of grades 9 to 12), the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) supports the Indian National Earth Science Olympiad (INESO) held in various schools across India.
- The INESO is a national-level prelude to the IESO, organised annually by the Geological Society of India in collaboration with MoES and select educational bodies in the country.
- The topics for assessment for students include geology, meteorology, oceanography, and environmental sciences.
- Top-performing participants from INESO get to represent India at the IESO, which also receives support from the MoES.
- The MoES supports the INESO and IESO as part of the REACHOUT scheme under the PRITHVI (PRITHvi Vigyan) scheme approved by the Union Cabinet in January 2024.
- The scheme's goal is to improve understanding of Earth system sciences through research and development activities and to provide reliable services to the country.
