Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu, today said that while India produces the highest percentage of women STEM graduates in the world (about 40 percent), their share in STEM jobs in India is very low at 14 per cent and needs to be improved. He further added that under-representation in post-graduate and doctoral studies too needs to be rectified expeditiously.
In this regard, Naidu noted that the Government’s efforts in improving number of girl students in IITs has led and said their number went up from just 8 percent in 2016 to nearly 20 percent now. He also appreciated the Department of Science & Technology’s ‘Women Scientists Program’ as a laudable initiative that encourages women to take up careers in science and maths. He said that we must celebrate our women scientists and create role models for the girl child in the field of science.
Speaking at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc), Chennai, the Vice President spoke about the trends in STEM and how we can tap the potential of the data science revolution in job creation. Shri Naidu observed that data has changed the way business is done and that we must look beyond our traditional engineering curriculum to equip our young graduates with these new skill-sets. This way, we must remain relevant to the current demands of the industry, he added.
Expressing his happiness at the proliferation of distance education courses offered by national institutes like IITs, he wanted technical courses to be offered in regional languages to benefit more number of students.
Stressing the importance of making science education available in local languages, the Vice President said that it will help students in understanding the subject better and will help in innovation. Stating that no language should be imposed or opposed, he called upon the people to learn as many languages as possible but give primacy to the mother tongue.
Speaking about the importance of mathematics and India’s rich legacy in the subject, Shri Naidu referred to the invaluable contribution made by the great Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. Calling for unearthing hidden talent among children, the Vice President underlined that there was no dearth of talent among children and that it was important to find and nurture the talent.
“We all know that mathematics is introduced at a very young age in our school curriculum. It is deemed as part of a child’s basic or elementary education. Unfortunately, many children get intimidated by the subject and simply develop fear and anxiety at the prospect of learning mathematics. This fear can be removed only by arousing the interest of the child in the subject. Therefore, the method of teaching plays a crucial role in making children passionate about maths. An important issue that needs to be addressed is rote memorization even in mathematics. Many a time, children simply memorize the answer from a textbook and reproduce it in the exam. This has to be stopped and the child must be trained to think creatively and analytically. Undoubtedly, better teacher training and revamped curriculum are crucial to revitalize primary education. But more importantly, educators must adopt creative methods to invigorate young minds. Puzzles, demonstrations and other hands-on activities could be utilized to make children become friends with numbers. A pedantic manner of teaching should be replaced with a more interactive and inclusive method,” he said.
Praising the scientists who made the indigenous Covid-19 vaccine possible, Shri Naidu called it a big leap in science for India. The Vice President also said that he feels confident about the future of the nation because of the tremendous efforts being put by our scientists and the enthusiasm of young researchers. He was of the view that the purpose of all R&D is betterment of the people’s lives.
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Mathematics and statistics were once looked at as niche fields of research and were not popular career domains. Much has changed in the past few years. There has been a revolutionary change in the way business is done with the advent of data science and data-driven decision making. This was aided by advancement in computing facilities and the emergence of artificial intelligence. Now, mathematical modelling and statistical analysis have become an indispensable skill-set in many industries. This field is only expected to grow in the coming years as more and more businesses, governments and other organizations seek to leverage the power of data. Our young demography and a growing economy imply that there is both an increasing demand for work and a skilled workforce. In this context, data science is an important area that needs to be fully tapped for ensuring job-creation. We must look beyond our traditional science and engineering curricula and we must equip young graduates with these new skill-sets. Else, they will become out-dated and the degree will remain only on paper. For this, institutes such as yours and others could offer micro-courses in statistics, computer science and related subjects. The proliferation of distance education courses offered by national institutes like IITs is a good augury. But most of these courses are still in English. We need to offer them in regional languages so that more students get benefited from such courses,” he added.
Referring to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Vice President highlighted the need to respect nature. He cautioned that climate change is real and its negative impacts will affect our lives. Emphasizing the need to live in harmony with nature, Shri Naidu called upon the people to adopt a healthy lifestyle by practicing Yoga and eating properly cooked & nutritious food.
Shri Naidu also expressed concern over the increasing tendency of overusing the mobile phone among the youngsters as this causes unnecessary distraction. He also said that for overall growth and development of the students, schools need to include activities like Yoga, gardening and social work in their curriculum.
Observing that many children get intimidated by the mathematics and develop fear and anxiety at the prospect of learning the subject, he urged educators to substitute the practice of rote memorization with creative methods and hands-on activities to make children friends with numbers, Shri Naidu urged.
In order to achieve this, the Vice President suggested that the provisions of New Education Policy should be fully capitalised and pedagogical changes be brought into primary education. He added that a strong foundational STEM must be complemented by encouraging children to take up careers in science. He also urged the private sector to partner with academic institutes to strengthen STEM research.
The Vice President appreciated the efforts of IMSc in furthering quality fundamental research, particularly its involvement in India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO),the mega-science project. He expressed confidence that this ambitious project will elevate India’s global position as a leader in scientific research.
Shri Naidu also appreciated the institute for undertaking science outreach programs in Tamil Nadu and stressed that the need of the hour is to inculcate scientific temper in people, especially in children.
On this occasion, the Vice President also virtually inaugurated the New Residential Wing of the IMSc at DAE Nodal Centre, Pallavaram, Chennai.
Tamil Nadu Minister for Higher Education, Shri K.P. Anbalagan, Prof. V. Arvind, Director, IMSc, Dr. Arun Kumar Bhaduri, Director, IGCAR, Dept. Of Atomic Energy, Kalpakkam, Smt. Selvi Apoorva, Principal Secretary to Government, Higher Education Department, Tamil Nadu, Shri S Vishnu Prasad, Registrar, IMSc, students and staff were present on the occasion.