Seminar on imparting science education in native language

Tribune News Service

Mohali, October 15

A three-day seminar on science and science education was organised at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali. The seminar was organised jointly by Azim Premji University and the IISER, Mohali.

While inaugurating the seminar, Prof Inder Bir Passi of the IISER, Mohali, opined that science and rationality flourished in those societies where knowledge of science was imparted right from primary school in the national or vernacular languages.

Prof Dewan from Azim Premji University, Prof Arvind and Prof Amit Kulshreshtha from the IISER, Mohali, and Prof Kuldip Singh from Punjabi University, Patiala, were coordinators at the seminar.

Lectures during the seminar were delivered in Hindi and Punjabi. Over 100 papers on science education were presented on the occasion.

The organisers deliberately chose vernacular languages as the medium of communication so as to strengthen the roots of science education in local languages in the country. The seminar received good response. Elaborate discussions and debates were held on the kind of transformation, which was needed in the domain of science education in India.

Experiments on science education in Hoshangabad, the National Curriculum Framework of 2005 and their relevance in reshaping science education in the country were also discussed.

It is expected that two books, one in Hindi and one in Punjabi, will be compiled from papers presented at seminar.

The seminar is the first effort of its kind in Punjabi. The Punjabi sessions involved eminent personalities, including Prof Surjit Singh Dhillon, Prof Hardev Singh Virk, Prof Rajesh Kochar, Prof Megh Raj Mittar and Prof SS Marwaha.