BHUBANESWAR: The future of popular science writing in Oriya reached a crossroads. With declining interest among the teachers of Oriya-medium schools, the activities to popularise science among schoolkids have not only come down, but also popular science writing has become so rare that even publishers of science journals face an uphill task to bring out issues regularly.
``One cannot solely blame the fascination for `English medium schools’ in the urban centres, since nearly 98 per cent of our students appear for the Class X examination under the State Board,’’ feels an activist adding rather the commercialisation of education has `forced’ our `activist teachers’ to leave their earlier path and follow the latter.
Science communicator-turned-lexicographer and founder of `Srujanika’ Nikhilmohan Patnaik says, ``After so many years of struggle we had to stop printing science magazine `Taranga’, adding lack of motivational activity by teachers could be a leading cause.’’ He admits lack of patronage by the authorities concerned, tepid involvement of parents at home to inculcate interest in science among their wards could be other reasons.
``Declining reading habits, invasion of television and computers into the lives of our children in urban centres could be other reasons behind the declining trend towards common literature on science,’’ he says.
Institute of Mathematics and Applications Director Prof Swadhin Patnaik thinks with education becoming more ``mechanical and marks, percentage and career achievement becoming major concerns, the urban schools in Oriya medium have now become neglected like their rural counterparts’’ and students have become victims of the globalisation process which ultimately needs `global workers’ such as in IT and other emerging fields.
``Even with more students eyeing IITs, engineering and medical, the Centre has started institutes like NISER and IISER with scholarships for students to popularise pure science but the time will tell whether these will make a difference or not,’’ he points out adding ``creating love and interest for a subject in the hearts of the students is more important than providing monetary help.’’ On Oriya medium schools and the declining standard of education, he feels not only science, other major subjects are neglected and our leading educationists must sit down and discuss the issue as ``making learning process enjoyable should be the aim of the students and we must make it happen at any cost.’’