‘Few taking up science in India’

By OUR CORRESPONDENT

New Delhi

July 15: India is losing its budding scientists to other professions. Latest figures show that few students are taking up pure sciences, despite government’s effort and incentives to make science more popular. A latest study, commissioned by Department of Science and Technology revealed that while percentage of students taking up pure sciences remains static at 21, there is an increase of 17 per cent in job opportunities in the field.

The study also states that with economy growth remaining at the same level as at present, generation of S&T employment each year will hopefully remain between 15 to 18 per cent.

In all 27,791 science and technology vacancies were advertised in the year 2005 and 32,362 vacancies in 2006. The increase in S&T job opportunities in 2006 as compared to 2005, was nearly 17 per cent.

To make science more popular among students, the government has taken initiatives like hiking educational budget, setting up more IITs, NITs, IIITs and IISERs. The study points out that a total of 5,612 and 5,549 PhDs in science were awarded during 2003-04 and 2004-05 as per annual reports of the UGC. Percentage wise there was not much increase in students enrolment in science, engineering and technology during 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06. It was nearly static at 21 per cent.

During 2005, 3751 vacancies were advertised for scientists — 2747 (73.23 per cent) with experience and 1004 (26.77 per cent) without experience.

In 2006, 4381 vacancies were advertised for scientists, 3198 (73 per cent) with experience and 1183 (27 per cent) without experience. The maximum number of vacancies for scientists during 2005 and 2006 were in the state of Uttar Pradesh followed by Delhi, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.

Similarly the highest number of vacancies have been in agriculture, physics, chemistry and botany.