Students of science who are pursuing specialised courses such as biotechnology and Information Technology (IT) are posing a threat for pure science subjects, including life science, mathematics and physics.
A recent example is the case of the South Indian Welfare Society (SIWS) College which had to close down its newly renovated life science department, as there were very few takers for it.
Said Dr PG Gopalkrishnan, SIWS principal, “Only a handful of students were opting for the life science course. Since the course is unaided, we need a minimum of 40 students to cover costs.
Otherwise, it is not viable to keep it running.” The few students who wanted to pursue the course in life science were advised to opt for microbiology in the college.
Most colleges are having similar problems. “Students are attracted to biotechnology and IT because of the hype that surrounds these courses.
But they will not help in the long term, as the students remain ignorant of the basics of science. If this continues, all pure science subjects will be in jeopardy,” said Dr Hema Ramachandran, reader in the Department of Life Science at Sophia College.
Educationists state that apart from the few takers for pure science courses, the lackadaisical approach of the state government in providing funds was a major reason for the courses’ decline.
“The government seems to be encouraging unaided courses. In our college, we need 15 students and one teacher per batch. However, at times there will be 28 students opting for the course.
But the government will consider anything less than 30 students as a single batch and refuse to provide salary for the second teacher. Such an attitude festers discontent and reflects on the teaching,” added Ramachandaran.
And it is not just pure science courses that are under threat. Most languages, apart from English, are also dying an ignominious death.
“Very few people are interested in the Indian languages. If the trend continues, it will be difficult to keep such courses running,” said Dr NB Kekare, principal of Kirti College.
