The Hindu : National : Education should provide the freedom to think: Kalam

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Tuesday, Aug 23, 2005

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Education should provide the freedom to think: Kalam

Staff Reporter

Physics a fascinating subject ``for enabling the student to capture the thought''

— Photo: R. V. Moorthy

ALL SMILES: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam greeting Noble Laureate Professor Horst L. Stormer at the International Conference on Physics Education at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on Monday.

NEW DELHI: Emphasising the need to confront theory with experimentation, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam said on Monday that the Indian education system must provide the freedom to think and imagination for students to learn physics well.

Speaking at the inauguration of the International Conference on ``World View on Physics Education in 2005: Focusing on Change'' at the Vigyan Bhavan here, the President said while physics was a fascinating subject ``for enabling the student to capture the thought, he should be motivated to visualise and imagine the phenomenon as done by Einstein who reasoned that if you could run along side a light beam then the light beam should be perfectly at rest.''

Emphasising the role of teachers in discovering talent and shaping them, Mr. Kalam said: ``Teachers have to become capacity builders and facilitators. They have to ask questions, which are challenging and allow the student to think and come up with an answer. Teachers must also find answers to the questions asked by the students or at least the approach through which the student can find an answer.

Eventually the teacher has to create a life long autonomous learner who will blossom into a physicist.''

Suggesting the compilation of a book with childhood experience of ten personalities in science for introduction in school curriculum in Standards X and XII, the President cited the example of eminent scientist Albert Einstein, who was spotted by his teacher for his brilliance.

``For students between the age of 14 and 17, it is very important to inject the beauty of science, challenge of science and bliss of science when one achieves.

This is the period students make up their mind, whether they should go for science, engineering, medical, law or humanities,'' Mr. Kalam said.

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