The genesis of Science as School Subject
The need for the introduction of science into the secondary school curriculum was acknowledged during the nineteenth-century writings of such individuals as Michael Faraday (1791-1867), Thomas Huxley (1825-1895) and Herbert Spencer (1820-1903). They argued vehemently in favour of the utilitarian values associated with the teaching of science. Science gained a place in the school curriculum by its introduction for the first time at Rugby school in England in 1849. Botany, Geology, Physics & Chemistry were started in that school.
The development of science education can be viewed as a process that involved percolation of the idea of teaching science from top to bottom. It all initiated at the higher and university level and then percolated down to the school level. Let’s look at some of the significant developmental events in the genesis of the school of science.
Towards the dawn of the eighteenth century, there was an increasing awareness about the social need to train individuals in science and technology. This awareness emerged out of the need for skilled and scientifically oriented workforce needed by the emerging industrialized societies.
It was during these times that several thinkers and philosophers used their personal zeal to advocate teaching of science
Additionally, different societies took the lead in the promotion and spread of science in the initial phase such as the Royal Society of London (1666); Royal Institution, London (1799); Literary and Philosophical Society of Manchester (1781); British Association for Advancement of Science (1830) and several others.
The three-fold efforts that emerged independently however reinforced each other and led to the evolution of the science education during the late 18th and early 19th century.
Finally, in 1827 the University of London was established with Naturalsciences as one of the key academic components. Huxley, Tyndall and Faraday associated with it were great proponents of spreading science through educational efforts among common people.
Later in 1849, the Rugby School of England included science as an important subject in the school curriculum.
By the beginning of the twentieth century, the governments in several countries started monitoring the status of science education in the schools. For example, in 1916, the Thomson Committee was constituted in England to inquire into the status of science education and submitted its report titled Natural Science in Education.
The twentieth century largely saw the spread of school level science across the globe and it got consolidated as a dominant school subject.
Several educational thinkers, particularly John Dewey in the first half of twentieth century influenced science education at the school level through his ideological and thoughtful writings.
By the mid-twentieth century on could historically see the tussle between great powers of the world to excel in science. After landing of man on the Moon that we generally call the post-sputnik era, US initiated a large-scale overhaul of science education at the school level.
During 1960s, the popular movement was initiated in science education that came to be known as Science: A Process Approach (SAPA) in the US. Pedagogical and curricular innovations (CHEM Study; Biological Science Curriculum Studies; Physical Sciences Curriculum Studies; Nuffield Physics etc.) were introduced in school science that almost metamorphosed the structure and procedure of science education at school level in several developed nations.
These curricular and pedagogical innovations influence science curriculum at school level across the globe.
Again, in the 1990s, fresh initiative were introduced in school science education by benchmarking students’ performance in science and mathematics for each grade through the efforts of American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS, 1989, 1990). It was widely accepted as a model for the amelioration of school science with the development of scientific literacy as its overarching goals.
Towards the dawn of twentieth-century and the beginning of the twenty-first century, the social relevance of science education and understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge gained importance as evident in the international literature related to school science education. Understanding of Nature of Science and Science society technology relationships and role of such knowledge for a democratic citizen of contemporary societies emerged as prominent themes in science education at the school level.
Genesis: Indian Perspective
As compared to the international scenario, the development of science education in schools in a formal almost continuously lagged behind. Post-independence, however, the successive governments perpetually strived to focus on the development of scientific temperament among the students through the school science education.
1913: Indian Science Congress Initiated
1949: University Education Commission under S. Radhakrishnan
School curriculum should be reconfigured to include science and language as compulsory subjects and narrow specialization of science is to be avoided.
1953: Secondary Education Commission:
Science was recommended as a compulsory subject in the school curriculum at the high school level.
1956: Tara Devi Report on All India Seminar on Teaching of Science.
It clarified the aims of science teaching as:
a. To develop awareness among the students about the science-society relationships.
b. To train the individuals on scientific method and discipline the mind accordingly.
c. Science subject should be diversified into specialized branches of science
1958: Scientific Policy Resolution
Science and technology are the keys to development and India’s march towards progress. India needs to become independent in science and technology if it wishes to develop without a huge capital drain through the import of technology. Therefore, the policy statement resolved that “[i]t is an inherent obligation of a great country like India, …………………to participate fully in the march of science, which is probably mankind's greatest enterprise today”. The scientific policy framed by GoI therefore aimed at the cultivation of science and scientific research in the country and targets a large-scale training of scientific and technical personnel as well as will promote all initiatives towards creation and sharing of scientific knowledge in the country.
1961: India’s Parliamentary and Scientific Committee
The committee under the chairmanship of Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri aimed at a review of science education in school's vis a vis the central and state government policy on science and technology. It recommended for enriching teaching personnel for science and improvement of lab school.
1961: NCERT
NCERT has the science and mathematics department. The department undertakes curriculum development in Science and Mathematics for all school stages starting from the upper primary to the higher secondary stage. The elements of environmental education and other aspects relevant to school education are interwoven throughout the entire school curriculum.
1964: Indian Education Commission
The commission recommended
a. Compulsory teaching of science and mathematics up to secondary level.
b. Experimental approach to teach science at the lower secondary level.
c. Science need to be linked to agriculture and technology and to the cultural heritage of the country.
d. Modernization of science pedagogy including investigatory and lab methods.
1972: Hoshangabad Science Teaching Project (HSTP) in MP
Started as a pilot project in 16 middle schools of two blocks of the district.
Later the project was scaled to the whole district.
In its final form, it mandated that the institute created as a project would evolve systems for macro-level implementation of micro-level educational experiments and act as a catalyst at the state, district, block and school levels to make the mainstream education system more receptive to innovations.
Later on, through its Eklavya Project, it popularized science as inquiry among the tribal and small towns of the state.
It was first innovation of its kind that truly relied on findings from the field experience to bring about change in the pedagogy and curriculum.
1974: Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education
Established a premiere institute to carry out research in science teaching and learning and curriculum for science and mathematics.
Science Popularization and orienting teachers towards it are its important goals.
It also organizes several olympiads and nurture programs to popularize science.
1986: National Policy on Education
a. Science to remain as core subject till high school
b. Stage wise objectives to be determined for the attainment of scientific temper and teaching should follow the objectives.
c. Science teaching at a lower level should be in conformity with students needs and interest and emphasize on joyful learning.
1986: Navodaya Vidyalaya's were established by Rajiv Gandhi.
Well equipped well-staffed schools in rural areas, almost one in every district to provide better quality science education to the talented children.
2005: National curriculum Framework
Initiated a paradigm shift in science education in India.
Inquiry skills is highlighted as the central theme in science education to be supported by language, design and quantitative skills.
Schools should place much greater emphasis on activities aimed at stimulating investigative ability, inventiveness, creativity and transfer of learning in varied situations.
2015: Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan (RAA)
Strengthening of School Science and Mathematics laboratories,
Organizing Science Fair/Exhibition and Talent Search at district level;
Providing mathematics and science kits to schools,
Visit of students to higher educational institutions and learning enhancement of students.
Atal Innovation Mission:
Establishment of Atal Tinkering Labs to promote science and mathematics education in an integrated way.
2020: National education policy
Development of problem-solving skills and inquiry skills and
Development of scientific Temper among school children
