D.R.Bhagat
Education is a key to progress and development of a country. Science education plays a major role in it. Our life has become very comfortable due to the gifts the science has provided to us.India has made much progress in the education sector since Independence including the progress in science education. A large number of institutes of higher learning have been opened including Engineering colleges, Medical colleges and exclusive institutes of science. As per a report, there were only 44 engineering institutes in India with an intake capacity of 3300 students before independence. This number has increased to 3200 engineering institutes with intake capacity of 16.3 lakhs at present registering an increase of more than 75 times in institutes and more than 500 times in the intake capacity. There has also been a great progress in nuclear energy, medicines, information technology and space sciences. But it is an admitted fact that we have not been able to produce many research scholars of international repute and in consonance with our number of institutes and a large population. In the 116 year history of Nobel Prize, we have so far received only one in 1930 won by C.V.Raman. This compels us to think where the fault lies. The President of India shri Pranab Mukherjee while addressing academicians and students recently at Rashtrapati Bhavan said, “Lack of conducive atmosphere in academia was pushing the best talent towards regular jobs instead of critical research. We have excellent IIT’s, NITS and IIM’s where campus recruitment is almost 100% but no Indian scholar working in an Indian university has won a Noble Prize since 1930 when C.V.Raman did it. If they had given the time and energy to do research, the country would have benefitted much more.” He has clearly referred to our education system which does not provide the required atmosphere for research. Chandrashekher and Dr. Hargobind Khorana got the Noble prize only when they shifted their citizenship and work place to America where they had a conducive atmosphere of research.
Our education system believes more in marks and degrees which has nothing to do with innovations and research. The students take admissions in these institutes of higher learning with the main aim of qualifying themselves for a job which can bring high earning for them. For fulfilling this aim, they prefer to join marketing companies and other business concerns even after studying in higher science institutes which defeats the very purpose of science education. A large number of institutions and universities opened during the recent years are due to privatization of the education sector. The main object of the private players is to earn money. In fact, a university is a place where the new ideas germinate which translate into innovations and research. Although there are some good universities in India, yet two years back there was not even a single Indian university among the 200 top ranking universities globally. In the present system of education, the students are prepared to know the answers to given questions bases on the set syllabi and to reproduce them in the examination with ultimate goal of procuring a degree. Thus, the knowledge remains confined to the boundaries of marks and degrees. This has suppressed the vast field of curiosity and creativity and of questioning and exploring to a narrow field of examinations, marks and degrees. Hence knowledge and understanding have been subordinated by marks and degrees. Existing education structure has not been able to imbibe a proper scientific culture. This is the reason that for the last some years about 50% of the seats in engineering colleges remain vacant. The number of Patent applications filed by Indians is also not up to the mark. As per a report, the number of Patent applications submitted by Indians in 2010 was around 6000 while the applications filed by Japanese and Americans were around 4.5 Lakhs and 4.2 Lakhs respectively. The number of patent applications filed by Indians is only .3% of total applications filed in the world. This shows a lack of interest of Indian students in innovations and deficiency in creativity.
Most of the children have a childhood curiosity of knowing about some natural phenomena which many of them lose by the time they are adult. This is because of the schooling they receive and the generally negative attitude of those in authority. Teachers discourage questioning of accepted laws and ultimately most of them are compelled to fall in line. Established notions of truth can be challenged in pursuit of knowledge. We take the example of Aristotle who in fourth century B.C. said that heavier bodies fall faster than lighter ones. This was being accepted without questioning for about 20 centuries when Galileo disproved it in 16th century A.D. by dropping balls of different weights from Leaning Tower of Pisa showing that they all fell at the same rate. There is no dearth of talent in India. The real talent does not necessarily need great institutions. Some of the great Indian scientists like S.N. Bose, J.C.Bose,APJ Abdul Kalam, Homi Bhava and Ramanunjam have made their mark worldwide and they have studied in the era when there were not many institutions and educational facilities. The need is to create the curiosity which can make the way itself. Wisdom and creativity play a direct role in making intellectuals and not the marks and degrees. Today we see that many of the students secure almost 100% marks in all subjects but hardly any one of them have a patent to his credit.
There is enormous potential for India to become a leading knowledge power provided our younger generation has opportunities for all round good education and training especially in science and technology. The present education system is a structured one which is based on a specified course and also creates a competition for more marks among the students. Science education must make scientists who work and unlock the laws of nature with their own efforts. The students must be taught the fundamentals of science from the schools in such a way which creates curiosity among them.
They should be encouraged to have their independent thinking and to learn by doing by themselves. The universities must adopt a curricular approach which treats knowledge in a holistic manner. The examination pattern, assessment schemes and framed course curriculum are the structures which need to be reviewed and overhauled. The system for open discussions among the students and experts, students and students must be kept in place so that the students have a clear concept of the subject which can help them in the field of research. The students should also be kept abreast about the recent achievements in science. To create scientific temper among the students must be the goal of science education at all levels and critical research a goal at higher levels. The National Science Day is an opportune time to revisit our educational system.
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