TIRUPATI: Governor of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu Ch. Vidyasagar Rao has devised a six-point formula to make science education more acceptable to the student community, at a time when the number of takers is waning.
His tip for R&D institutions and research laboratories is to nurture the science department of a university in their neighbourhood as a centre of national excellence, with enough role for women, conducting science fairs and similar events for attracting students, besides recognising and rewarding the science organisations and science leaders excelling in their chosen fields.
Delivering the valedictory address at the closing ceremony of the 104th Indian Science Congress here on Saturday, Mr. Rao expressed concern over the falling interest among students in science, and sought “urgent intervention” by the policy makers. “Science is no longer the first choice of students today. The planners, science leaders and educationalists should think of ways to endear science to the students,” he said.
The Governor spoke on letting the children study in their mother tongue till the twelfth standard for better grasp over subjects, a proposal which, according to him, was mooted by UNESCO and an array of Indian luminaries. He favoured revisiting the glorious past, including the history of Bhaskaracharya and Aryabhata, as there would be “no progress when the past is forgotten”.
Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Y.S. Chowdary wanted a matrix to be developed to measure the targeted versus achieved progress in the annual science congress event. While research and publications are important, he advised the delegates to shed the “scientist-centric” approach and direct their study towards people's requirement. In this connection, Mr. Chowdary recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's focus on “Scientific Social Responsibility” at the inauguration of the congress.
Reviewing the sessions on futuristic areas like gene editing, offshore wind farm, blue economy, 5G and Internet of Things, robotics and cyber security, ISCA General-President D. Narayana Rao thanked the State government and Sri Venkateswara University for chipping in and doing their best. Dr. Rao passed on the Flame of Torch to Achyuta Samantha, founder of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), the General-President elect for the 105th ISC.
Rajya Sabha member C.M. Ramesh, State Ministers Ganta Srinivasa Rao (Human resources) and B. Gopalakrishna Reddy (Science and Technology) and SV University Vice-Chancellor Avula Damodaram took part.
