It was not long ago ,the first choice of highest percentile students was Science.When i went to high school,they put me into science just b/c i was in the top 3 in the class,& the teacher didn’t think that humanities &commerce was challenging enough for my talent in science .Although i never regretted it but over the years i have seen talk of careers & colleges while not even going near physics chemistry,math &biology.
I have seen those 2nd & 3rd tier students make themselves up to into accounts &become CPA or chartered Accountants,in lesser time than an verage M.D. course.Similarly Management has been the rage up untill mid 90s that engineering to medical graduates turned to it besides commerce & humanities graduates.Now ,for last 10 years its computer science or programmers or techy as they are called,drawing big crowd of students who would otherwise have gone to mechanical,civil,chemical ,electrical engineering.The career in science spl. in theoretical or pure science is too demanding with hours of lab work &phd level f education is just too long.But i still think for the real bright ,challenge lies in the basic sciences for without reasearch in the pure science new development be it in medicine ,engineering or computers cant take place &without developments innovation &inventions there is no growth,which is secret of prosperity in every industries.
Pune students turn their back on Science
By Geetanjali Patole
India has great a tradition of science. Shunya (zero) was known to the
ancient Indians and this century, Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman and
later, his nephew, Subramanyan Chandrasekhar, won Nobel prizes for their
work in the pure sciences.
But the future of Science as a subject in India, looks bleak, as more
and more students are opting away from the subject.
Post-liberalisation trends are beginning to reflect in our Education,
with fast moolah and IT threatening to make test tubes and microscopes
passi.
Neha Singh is a typical example. She took Science in her junior college,
but switched over to commerce for her graduation. “Science was just too
much to cope with. The pressure is a lot and besides the future in India
is bleak. So I switched to commerce,” says Neha.
Dr Subhash Harishchandra Desai, principal, Fergusson College says, “Yes,
there has been a downswing in the number of students opting for Science
lately. The cut-off percentage for admissions have gone down by
two-three per cent, which gives you an idea of how the popularity of
Science is diminishing. Thirty-forty percent of the third year BSc
students have dropped out of the Chemistry course this year.”
Dr A S Kalgaonkar of Nowrosjee Wadia adds, “While Science still remains
an integral part of the Indian education scene, there is the trend where
students from Pune are opting out of this subject. Nowadays, more than
half the students who opt for BSc are from other states.”
According to A W Joshi, head of department (HOD), Physics, University of
Pune, “There has been a drop of 20-25 per cent in admissions to BSc
courses. The MSc programme too, has shown a steady decline from about
200 students two years back, to 150 this year. Although there has been
little effect on enrolments at the department of Physics, there too a
curious trend is reflected. Just as students from our own state are
heading out for more professionally-oriented courses, there has been a
surplus of students from other states seeking admission to our
programmes.”
But Prof. Shitole, HOD, Botany, has no complaints. “I’ve haven’t seen
this phenomenon occurring in my course as yet, but I’m aware of the fact
that only 30-35 per cent of students opt for Science after their high
school examinations. Pure sciences leave little place for material
comforts. It’s a poor paying profession and yet, very demanding. Botany
is still flourishing because it’s a subject preferred mostly by women,
who do not have the pressure to perform financially.”
“The trend is most disturbing,” says winner of the Shantiswarup
Bhatnagar Award for Best Promising Scientist, Dr Varun Sahni of the
Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA).
“Science is not getting the prominence it used to enjoy. Pure sciences
are subjects that need a lot of dedication. It’s probably because
youngsters are getting swayed by trends and the financial viability of
courses they take up. I feel the media has a very big role to play in
helping Science gain back its ground. Everywhere you look, you see
advertising and reports on the latest IT developments. I would like to
see some of this reporting done on the various discoveries made in the
field of Science. There is a major breakthrough made in fields related
to science everyday. If youngsters read about it more, their interest
could be rekindled,” he says.
So while the IT and computer professional seem to wield the sceptre,
Management comes a close second, with Literature and Humanities too
staging a major comeback. But E=mc2? Well, it’s just not adding up at
the moment.