STRENGTHENING OF SCIENCE TEACHING IN SCHOOLS
9.1 The NPE has reiterated the importance of teaching of Mathematics and Science Education as well as inculcation of scientific temper in the core curriculum in schools. The Committee set up under the Chair- manship of Prof. Yash Pal, Chairman, UGC for implementation of pro- grammes for the improvement of science education has stressed the need for proper motivation of teachers in order to enable them to play their role effectively and provision of suitable training to them. A detailed scheme for improvement of science education in schools has been prepared. The salient features are indicated below:
- Provision of science kits to 90,000 upper primary schools.
- Assistance to 22500 secondary and higher secondary schools having laboratory room and science teachers to acquire science equip- ment.
- Cost of total equipment for a school is assessed at Rs. 75,000/-.
- A one-time assistance of Rs. 15,000/- per secondary/higher sec- ondary school for 40,000 secondary and higher secondary schools to procure about 500 books relating to science education.
- Identification of an educational institution or voluntary agency in each State to act as resource centre to help science teachers. Each resource centre will be given equipment of Rs. 1 lakh.
- Conducting in-service training in the form of summer institutes in institutions of higher education, courses in secondary teacher training colleges, courses in DIETs and through voluntary organi- zations having expertise.
- Assistance on 100% basis to voluntary organizations having exper- tise to promote scientific temper and science education.
The following steps have been taken for implementation of the scheme:
- NCERT has designed a Functional Science Kit for Upper Primary level costing Rs. 1200/-.
- A list of recommended books as a guideline to States has been prepared by the NCERT and this has been sent to the states along with scheme. Books will be both in English and regional language concerned.
- The standard list of equipment with specification has been pre- pared by the NCERT.
9.2 The scheme was approved by the Government and circulated to to the State Governments/UT administrations in January 1988. Even so, the response from the States has been very enthusiatic and it is being ensured thqat maximum possible support is extended to States under this scheme.
9.3 Central Assistance to the extent of Rs. 27.79 crores has been sanctioned to 17 States/UTs. This assistance would cover 18,604 upper primary schools which will be provided Science Kits (each costing about Rs. 1200), 7,093 secondary and higher secondary schools whose laboratories would be brought upto the specified standards in terms of equipment and 7,483 secondary and higher secondary schools for improv- ing the libraries by procuring about 500 books on Science and Mathe- matics. All the assistance under the scheme is on 100% basis. For procuring books in the libraries a list of suggested books has been drawn up and given to States; and it is being ensured that they sup- plement this list (mostly in English) by list of suitable books in regional language so that the library would have an equal number of new books in the regional language. For upper primary schools, the NCERT has developed a composite and functional kit but the States can
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develop their own Science Kits also. Similarly, for laboratory equipment, the list developed by the NCERT alongwith the Specifications for individual items has been given to the States but they can procure equipement for their laboratories with reference to the lists they or the State Boards may have developed. Assistance is also being provided to all these States for a large programme of training of Science and Mathematics teachers through summer institutes and inservice coures in the colleges of teacher education. Specific training courses, prominently including component for developing scientific temper, are being developed by the States in consultation with the NCERT for the training programme in the summer of 1988.
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