The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Science in schools

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 05, 2007
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Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Science in schools

After reading the article "Are we really teaching science in our schools?" (March 2), one is struck by the fact that something very important is missing in our educational system. Is it because there is resistance to change? Any radical prescription is ignored? Does the unwillingness to change stem from the compulsion of schools to be seen as imparting knowledge (even inadequately or wrongly)?

Whatever the reason, it is the children who pay the price. Teachers, for their part, become victims in the whole process. Caught between the genuine desire to communicate with the child and pressure to ensure performance, most opt for the latter. As the article rightly points out, children, unable to comprehend what is taught, develop their own naïve theories.

Vijaya Shankar,
Chennai

* * *

As a science student, I do not doubt the curriculum but would definitely want to question the system and its objectives. Rather than being a means of gaining knowledge, our education system has become marks-oriented. Competition has forced students to mug up concepts without questioning anything. An increase of 0.1 per cent in aggregate marks is much more important than knowing the implications of an increase of 0.1 per cent sulphur in a compound.

The need of the hour is better infrastructure with more emphasis on research projects, and an admission system based on knowledge, not percentages.

Gunjan Aylawadi,
New Delhi

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