This is a reflection of a recent news item in the Puducherry newspapers that the Department of School Education is planning to stop the pure science stream in the Higher Secondary stream. Now what is this pure science? Interesting though, it simply means students can take Botany, Zoology, Physics and Chemistry as their elective when they seek to do their higher secondary education (or +2 as it is commonly called). Let us set aside whether these are pure science or what the other streams like Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics are "pure" science or not.
It seems the private schools in Puducherry have already done away with this pure science stream. Only a few government schools have this stream now and that too, the government is planning to close. What are the implications for this on the students?
Obviously, this "pure" science stream does not have mathematics. That makes a lot of sense to students who are scared of maths as a subject, though, it is one of the most interesting of the sciences, it is seen, firstly not as science and secondly as very dry and abstract. Let us again avoid the issues as to why lot of children see maths as a scary subject as also science to lot of other children.
Now the students who had the option of taking the pure science has a lot of opportunities which the other streams do not have. One even average or below average students can get into this stream very easily as the most competitors would like a Medical or an Engineering career and for them pure science is not a good choice, because scoring in this is not that easy. Secondly, those students who could opt for Nursing, Paramedical science courses find this as an attractive choice. In Puducherry, this was always the choice of rural and poor students who can get an fairly easy admission to one of the rural government schools or even a couple of urban schools. Now the government stopping this, the future and dreams of a lot of low income students and their parents would be shattered.
Another matter which also is worry is the complete neglect of the social sciences at the higher secondary level. Studying History or Economics is seens a high profile career in leading universities like the Delhi University etc, here in Puducherry these are being wiped out ..
We should definitely start worrying...
It seems the private schools in Puducherry have already done away with this pure science stream. Only a few government schools have this stream now and that too, the government is planning to close. What are the implications for this on the students?
Obviously, this "pure" science stream does not have mathematics. That makes a lot of sense to students who are scared of maths as a subject, though, it is one of the most interesting of the sciences, it is seen, firstly not as science and secondly as very dry and abstract. Let us again avoid the issues as to why lot of children see maths as a scary subject as also science to lot of other children.
Now the students who had the option of taking the pure science has a lot of opportunities which the other streams do not have. One even average or below average students can get into this stream very easily as the most competitors would like a Medical or an Engineering career and for them pure science is not a good choice, because scoring in this is not that easy. Secondly, those students who could opt for Nursing, Paramedical science courses find this as an attractive choice. In Puducherry, this was always the choice of rural and poor students who can get an fairly easy admission to one of the rural government schools or even a couple of urban schools. Now the government stopping this, the future and dreams of a lot of low income students and their parents would be shattered.
Another matter which also is worry is the complete neglect of the social sciences at the higher secondary level. Studying History or Economics is seens a high profile career in leading universities like the Delhi University etc, here in Puducherry these are being wiped out ..
We should definitely start worrying...
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