Partnering to promote science education

Updated on: Monday, September 07, 2009

In an effort to strengthen science education in the country, an inter-institutional collaborative project, ‘Enrichment of Resource Material for

Science Education,’ was recently launched in the Capital. The project attempts to reconceptualise science resource material and focus on the potential and scope of ‘science kits’ to popularise the subject. These low cost portable science kits vary depending on level, theme or even needs.

The project has been jointly undertaken by the National Council of Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC), Ministry of Science and Technology; Unesco, Central Institute of Education (CIE), Delhi University; and Society for Education and Social Development (SESD). The project also has an active involvement of experts from the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE) Mumbai, Delhi University Centre for Science Education and Communication, Institute for Life Long Learning (ILLL) Delhi University, Jamia Milia Islamia University, colleges of Delhi University, IP University, Ignou, DIETS, schools of Delhi, among others.

While announcing the launch of the project, Warren Mellor, director, Unesco, said that the outcomes of the project would have an impact not only at a national level but in other countries as well. On teacher education, Mohd Akhtar Siddiqui, chairperson, National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), emphasised that it’s the teachers who make all the difference in making a subject interesting and not textbooks or curriculum, hence, they need to be empowered. “This project would validate the science resources and also popularise them across the country,” he added.

The focus of the project would be to pedagogically evaluate the sampled science kits from sources like department of science and technology (DST), HBCSE, NCERT and to enrich them further. The kits would be accompanied by manuals/handbooks and ICT backup so that it can be further disseminated. These packages would be tried out with teacher educators, teachers and students in schools of Delhi, to begin with, and also with community based organisations.
Elaborating further, US Sharma, general secretary, Society for Education and Social Development, said: “The project will be completed in two phases and we also plan to take it to an international level.”

On the need for such an initiative, AK Bakhshi, director, ILLL, said: “The problem with the current education system is that we are producing rote-learners since we are not encouraging children to think out-of-the-box. Students do laboratory work without understanding the logic behind it. This needs to be addressed. We emphasise ICT in learning because classroom teaching is still confined to the chalk and talk method, which has its limitations. Thus, we need to inculcate creativity in students and our strategies need to be focused, only then can we nurture the scientific temper in students.”

Timesofindia

Partnering to promote science education

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