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Astronomy/ Science
Education in Schools
in India
Current Scenario in schools-By Henna Khan
“Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of them. A few trickle through
the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for Science intact” – Carl Sagan.
I am unaware of how much astronomy is taught in schools the world over, but in India, the only astronomy which is included in the school curriculum is a bit about the solar system added in the geography textbook as an afterthought. A lot of children grow up without even knowing that our Sun is just
another star. And what is worse is that the education system does not make them wonder and ask
these questions for themselves.
Further, the current education system is purely focused on passing exams. Almost all children end
up rote learning without understanding concepts. If we want future scientists, our education system
needs to change from “textbook based learning” to “inquiry-driven learning”.
There are few schools in India which do provide hands-on based education, but these are very expensive
ICY SCIENCE | WINTER 2013- 2014