| Monday, Sep 15, 2008
Declining interest in basic sciences
Vice-chancellors from the south discuss ways and means to create a sustained interest in sciences among students.
“Lack of adequate and good infrastructure at universities has also resulted in reduction in preference for basic sciences.”
Amid plans to expand higher education in India, the declining interest in basic science
education and research has become a cause for concern among academicians. The expanding
job market, with its lucrative career options, has in fact weaned students away from the basic sciences.
Though higher education in the country has grown manifold over the decades,
the diminishing popularity of science among students has led to decrease in research,
and as a consequence to shortage of quality teachers. This has, indeed, struck the alarm
bell for academicians calling for ways and means to solve the crisis.
“The declining interest in basic sciences is a universal trend and is not new to India.
We need to find out ways to address the challenges,” president of Association of Indian
Universities A.M Pathan said at the south zone vice-chancellors’ meet held at Puducherry
on September 11 and 12, with the central theme being ‘Basic Science Education
and Research-Constraints and Challenges of Universities’.
As per the objectives of the Science and Technology policy of Government
of India, it aimed at “vigorously fostering scientific research in universities
and other academic, scientific and engineering institutions; and attract the
brightest young persons to careers in science and technology, by conveying
a sense of excitement concerning the advancing frontiers, and by creating
suitable employment opportunities for them.” For Pondicherry University
vice-chancellor J.A.K. Tareen, there are different factors contributing
to the declining interest in basic sciences.
“One of the factors is the drive of the job market.
Students prefer to look for openings immediately after completing
their graduation. They are pulled towards bioinformatics, biotechnology,
management and Information Technology sector,” he said.
Lack of adequate and good infrastructure at universities has also resulted in reduction
in preference for basic sciences. “There is no good investment in the university science
education. The bulk of grants are going to establishment of IITs and regular universities
which have been producing manpower for the sustenance of the country’s industries
for the last 50 years have been facing lower fundings,” he said.
According to A. Gnanam, former chairman of National Assessment and Accreditation
Council, Bangalore, the declining interest in fundamental sciences is not only restricted
to subjects such as physics and chemistry; even electrical and mechanical engineering
are not much attractive among students.
“There is a trend of a population looking for good avenues in jobs at
the end of the academic period,” he pointed out. Keeping in view the upcoming
importance of science and scientific studies, the government had constituted a
task force to look in to the matter regarding decline in science education,
Union Minister of State for Higher Education D. Purandeswari said, adding that on
the basis of the recommendations, the government had decided to build scientific
research institutions of the highest standards in which teaching and research at
the undergraduate and postgraduate levels would be undertaken in an integrated manner.
Start at the school-level
So what is the way out? And academicians point out to a number
of solutions. Aruna Sivakami, Mother Theresa Women University
said there should be widespread emphasis on encouraging students
to take up basic science courses from the school-level to create
sustained interest in the students.
“It is the duty of the teaching faculty and management of school,
colleges to inculcate an awareness and enthusiasm in the students about
the importance of sciences for the advancement of the nation. From there on
it is a cakewalk to successful ventures of research activities. The school
or college can establish contacts with universities in the area to continue research,” she added.
Coming up with suggestions, Professor Tareen said the attention of students
should be drawn towards sciences with an assurance of a career so that students
can choose the science stream. Apart from this, there needs a change in policy
of the government for sustained grants for universities rather one-time grants, he pointed out.
Moreover, the essential thing is that the government should try to improve the funding position
and bring about sustained development of science laboratories with liberal funding, he added.
Courtesy: The Hindu - Education Plus
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