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Cleanliness, traffic rules, and science: what students of Pune Zilla Parishad schools learnt during their Nasa tour

Students from Pune Zilla Parishad schools say they gained an entirely different perspective on public life in the US, an eye-opening experience.

4 min readPuneUpdated: Dec 11, 2025 06:11 PM IST

25 Students from Pune Zilla Parishad Schools, mostly coming from underprivileged backgrounds in rural Pune, were selected for the NASA Tour in US. The students departed from Mumbai to US on November 15, and returned from their visit on November 27. (Express Photo)

As many as 25 students, who mostly come from underprivileged backgrounds from rural Pune, took a flight to the US on November 15, and came back on November 27. (Express Photo)

After a 10-day trip to the US to visit National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) centres, among other places, students from Pune Zilla Parishad schools say they were awestruck not just by the cutting-edge space science but also by how people diligently followed the most basic rules in the country.

As many as 25 students, who mostly come from underprivileged backgrounds from rural Pune, took a flight to the US on November 15, and came back on November 27.

Selected out of more than 13,000 students from Pune Zilla Parishad schools after two rounds of tests and one round of interview conducted by Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), only one of them had ever visited a foreign country before the tour; others had never travelled by a flight.

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Their US tour was organised by the Pune Zilla Parishad.

‘There was so much cleanliness’

Students, their parents, and the teachers accompanying them told The Indian Express that a completely different view of public life in the US as compared to India was an eye-opening experience.

“Discipline and following rules were a big learning experience for me during my visit to the US. We have a lot of traffic here, but we saw that this was not the case there. We learnt that we must speak politely with everyone we meet,” Rudra Morade, a student of ZP School, Mordewadi, says.

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“There was so much cleanliness. The people follow the rules and don’t throw garbage around, and bins are installed everywhere. In India, the traffic police are present at signals to enforce rules. But in the US, we did not see any traffic police; everyone was following the rules,” the Class 7 student adds.

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Pratap Musmade, Kasturi’s father, also agreed that the difference in lifestyle was the biggest learning for his daughter.

“It was the first time my daughter stayed away from us on her own for so many days. She liked the discipline and cleanliness in the cities there. She told us about the traffic rules and the lack of accidents there. She got a lot of knowledge in the Nasa centre and enjoyed the communication skills she got to learn there.”

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Kasturi is a Class 7 student at ZP Kendrashala Koregaon Bhima.

From Kennedy Centre to Disney World

Pramila Jori, one of the four ZP teachers who accompanied the students on the trip, also says their biggest learning was the stark contrast in sanitation and self-respect in their lives back home.

“Being away from their parents and doing their work on their own, lack of equality between men and women in India, following traffic signals and lane discipline — all of these things were visible to the children, and they were astounded by it.”

Jori said the trip also ignited the student’s scientific temper. “The ATX (Astronaut Training Experience) at Kennedy Centre was the most enjoyable experience for the students. They got to learn first-hand about the kind of problems astronauts face in space and how they solve them in real time. And obviously, the visit to Disney World in Orlando was another favourite experience for many of the students.”

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Rudra, a Class 7 student, said the exposure he gained after visiting places such as Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center, and Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum has changed his outlook towards the subject.

Giving an example of the knowledge imparted to them during their visit to the United States, Rudra says he got to know that to prevent the melting of a lander during its reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere due to high heat, the lander’s surface is coated with titanium.

“I used to think that all scientists do is mix some chemicals to create other chemicals. Earlier, I wanted to be an IPS officer. But after the visit, I want to become a scientist, an astrophysicist.”

Soham Shah

Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting. Professional Background Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune. Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics. Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories: 1. Investigations & Governance "Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents. "44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families. 2. Education & Campus Life Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. "Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial. "Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers. 3. Human Rights & Social Issues "Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India. "'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying. Signature Style Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty. X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... Read More

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