Science learning in times of competitive entrance examinations

Science students in our country are spending increasing effort and time at private coaching institutes training for entrance examinations for higher studies. Instead of looking at this shift merely through a binary framework of formal science learning in schools and colleges versus training for entrance examinations, it is more fruitful to identify learning deficits which are shared across this divide. In this article, Sanjay Kumar identifies three such deficits in physics learning.

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Green movements and public perception of science

From being seen as the panacea to all ills, scientific advances are today being seen by many as an alien legacy or a partial cure at best. Though science is still respected by many, there is a tendency to discard much of what scientists say in fields like GM crops, and other technology, even while accepting the dire prognosis made by climate scientists. How did this choice come into being. T V Venkateswaran probes these questions in an article that explores the evolution of ideas pertaining to science and the people.

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