The vital importance of science education in today’s world....

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The importance of science and technology in today’s world is overwhelming and therefore the education system throughout the world has to gear itself to provide the required training in scientific skills to meet this growing challenge.

Undoubtedly the application of science and technology have transformed the world through dramatic advances in almost all fields including medicine, engineering, electronics, aeronautics etc. and in more recent times dramatic leaps in computer technology have revolutionised in particular the information and communications sector.

The evidence of the correlation between science and technology and economic/industrial development is overwhelming. In fact, many countries have transformed themselves from poor feudal type economies through the increasing application of science and technology. In this regard, China and India are two outstanding examples as they have grown to become economic and industrial power houses and in several ways compete effectively with developed countries.

Had it not been for science and technology, Europe would not have been able to rebuild in such a relatively short time after most of the countries there were flattened during World War II.

So it is not whether scientific and technological road is an optional one; it is an imperative and has to be vigorously pursued, especially Guyana, which, because of a multiplicity of factors lags in scientific and technological development.

What has been troubling is that the number of students at the secondary and tertiary levels pursuing science has been decreasing. At the University of Guyana, the Natural Sciences Faculty is tottering as few students graduate every year with degrees in Physics and Chemistry in particular.

One of the more recent trends has been that many students have switched from science to business studies pointing out that there is not much scope here for persons with qualifications in the science field, and also that careers in the business fields are more financially rewarding.

Then there is also an attitudinal problem with respect to science where many students feel that science subjects are too difficult and therefore shy away from it.

Therefore it would seem that the issue has to be tackled on two fronts-providing the incentives and motivation for the pursuit of science and changing the attitude of students.

Achieving these tasks will not be easy because of the numerous difficulties and complexities involved but a good start is to equip our school system to make them science friendly. This of course has been recognised by the Ministry of Education and it has begun formulating policies and programmes to address the issue.

And according to the Director of the National Centre for Educational Resource Development, Mohandatt Goolsarran primary science has been seeing improvements and presently the focus is on maintaining standards that are consistent across the Caribbean.

He noted that the education sector has been taking steps to achieve this objective but has met some challenges one of which was the acquisition of funding to purchase laboratory equipment and chemicals. This indeed will always be a challenge in developing countries but perhaps one of the avenues that should be pursued to help alleviate this difficulty is seeking support from the private sector, particularly industries, which ultimately will benefit from scientifically qualified trained personnel coming out of the education system.

However, another which should come under closer scrutiny is the science curriculum to determine whether its content and structure are towards meeting objectives and stimulating children’s interest in science. This is a crucial area and should not be overlooked.

The National Science Teachers Association of America supports the notion that inquiry science must be a basic in the daily curriculum of every elementary school student at every grade level. It added that in the last decade, numerous reports have been published calling for reform in education. Each report has highlighted the importance of early experiences in science so that students develop problem-solving skills that empower them to participate in an increasingly scientific and technological world.
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