Science at School Level needs to be a focus for India

Calling for the need to focus on science education at high school level, eminent scientist and nobel laureate Sydney Altman has suggested Indian government to develop a curriculum with a view to encourage kids towards innovation.

According to Mr. Altman, India is focusing too much on scientific research at high level and has been ignoring science education at school level, which he argues is not good for the scientific health of the country in the long run.

"Focus of the Indian Government should be on science education in high schools. This is something which has to be looked into in great detail by the government. You just can't take about science and innovation. You got to encourage kids outside of their restrictive curriculum in schools," said Mr. Altman, who got Chemistry Nobel in 1989 for his work on the catalytic properties of RNA.

"I am not talking about villages and rural areas (where there is not much of an education infrastructure), even in small towns and large cities, many students graduate from college with very high percentage levels and grades, but they do not know what to do with them after that," Mr. Altman told PTI.

The Sterling Professor of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology at the Yale University said that the Indian government should develop an educational curriculum which helps the younger generation and the school going kids develop the basics of innovation.

"For instance in the United States there are a lots of science fares for high school students and same thing happens in College. This requires time and money which is generally held by teachers after school hours" Mr. Altman said, adding that such things helps students develop and work on innovative ideas.

Mr. Altman also suggested India to encourage small companies to make an attempt to work in the areas of science and technology.

Mr. Altman, who shared the Nobel with Thomas R. Cech, however, confessed that his view on the Indian education system is based on his two-time visit to the country and his interaction with Indian scientists in the U.S.

He acknowledged that there are a lot of Indian scientists around, who have been making valuable contribution. "But I think that some of such people, who I know personally, graduated or did higher studies outside India," he said.

Mr. Altman said that many U.S. companies and educational institutions are interested in entering into collaborations with their Indian counterparts because of better education in the country.

"They are now going to India to look for sources where they can open up new branches and create collaborative effort.

I am not sure if that could have been done 10-15 years ago, but it is being done now because the level of education in India has gone up," he said.