“To develop scientific character, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform.” These words were coined in 1976 in an amendment to the Constitution of India. The framers of the Constitution rightly saw the pursuit of evidence, reason and humanity as the responsibility of every citizen as India emerged from arguably the most tumultuous period in its history since independence from Britain nearly three decades ago.
But these attributes now seem to be less valued, at least by those involved in making the country’s education policies. A number of changes to school science teaching have resulted in the removal of the periodic table, explanations of evolution and electromagnetism, and discussions of sustainable use of natural resources from textbooks used by 14-16 year olds.
These and other topics were removed from the curriculum last year to help students ease their workload during the COVID-19 pandemic. But now they have been removed from textbooks as well. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), the government-funded but operationally autonomous body tasked with producing India’s textbooks, has not discussed the changes – which will affect more than 38 million children with parents, teachers or researchers. Those studying science education told Nature they were confused, not least by the lack of any engagement.
Pride in India
NCERT says that “rationalization” is needed when the content overlaps with material covered elsewhere in the curriculum, or when it considers the content irrelevant. In addition, India’s National Education Policy 2020 says that students must become problem solvers and critical thinkers, thus promoting less content memorization and more active learning.
NCERT also wants “rootedness and pride in India and its rich, diverse, ancient and modern culture and knowledge systems and traditions”. Some interpret this as a motivation to remove the likes of Charles Darwin and Michael Faraday and instead use the time to learn more about India’s pre-colonial history of science.
India is not the only post-colonial country struggling with the question of how to honor and recognize older or indigenous forms of knowledge in its school curriculum. New Zealand is trialling the teaching of Māori ‘ways of knowing’ – mātauranga Māori – in selected schools across the country. However, it does not remove important scientific content to accommodate the new material, and for good reason.
The process of evolution by natural selection and the principles underlying the periodic table are fundamental concepts that explain and encourage students to think about the world as a whole. Life in all its spectacular permutations and combinations is the product of evolutionary processes.
Meanwhile, a surprisingly small set of chemical elements make up the building blocks of our physical world. How and why these two spheres are the way they are can be traced back to the lessons laid down in the conceptual frameworks that NCERT has corrected.
Alternative methods
In addition, there is a large body of literature and teaching practices that outline how science concepts can be taught using visual methods such as videos and animations instead of rote learning. An alternative is to embed concepts using narrative non-fiction. In the case of the periodic table, this would be a detailed description of how each element found its place in the table; highs and lows, dramas and inflection points as researchers strive to get to the truth and be recognized for their achievements.
Learning basic science concepts, practicing problem solving, and delving deep into the history of science—both local and global—doesn’t have to be done in isolation. Developing a scientific temperament and pride in heritage can go hand in hand. As we’ve written in these columns, research will not progress without a solid understanding of what came before. In short, science and history complement each other.
Researchers who study Indian education policy told Nature that organizations that criticize science are advocating or influencing these textbook changes. They point to one organization in particular: the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which has close ties to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Of course, NCERT needs to listen to views from across the spectrum of the community. However, as an autonomous body, it must be free to make its own decisions and should always do so on the basis of the best available evidence. Public confidence in his decision will be helped if all users are involved: pupils, teachers, parents and researchers. Failure to do so encourages all kinds of speculation, some of which may not be accurate.
NCERT must end its vow of silence. Few would have a problem with his ambition to promote critical thinking and foster learning by doing, or his desire for students to enjoy their education. Both can go hand in hand with an exploration of India’s rich pre-colonial and post-colonial history of discovery and innovation.
Written by: Vaishali Verma
Reference: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01750-2
