Indian Science Congress

Steve Pizzey

January 3 - 7, 1998. This year the conference was hosted by Osmania University in Hyderabad in central southern India and was interesting for its inclusion of sessions with an emphasis on young people. The conference included a public exhibition prepared by children and an exhibition of hands-on exhibits from the Birla Science Centre and Planetarium in Hyderabad.

My own involvement was to deliver a paper on the role of hands-on exhibits in science education and also renew contacts and discuss new projects with a long-time colleague and friend Dr. Sidharth who is director of the Science Centre and was convenor of the session.

During my talk, we decided to bring children onto the platform to express their views on education and a few nervous candidates appeared.  The trickle turned into a flood as an ever-longer queue formed to rain blows down on the education system and its failings. The session hotted up, as the young delegates became more confident and outspoken. Most criticism centred on rote learning of subjects they saw as irrelevant and most expressed a wish for more activities.

At this stage we thought it only fair to let the teachers have their say with and with some provocative comments and observations from Dr. Sidharth and his ‘distinguished international guest’ thrown in to fan the flames we found ourselves in the middle of a lively, constructive and enjoyable debate with a momentum of its own. In the end, the teachers were done for and had to resort to humour to defend their position.

The now electric atmosphere produced thunderous applause for the science demonstrations that followed, prepared by the teachers who at this stage were ready for anything. Somehow their schools will never be the same again and I certainly came away with plenty to think about.

Newsletter Spring 1998 Contents

Centres > Satrosphere News | What is happening to Light on Science? | Inspire News | Herstmonceux News

Exhibits > BIG working group on exhibit development | What is Design? | Exhibit Aphorisms | "Here's Looking at Euclid" - exhibit idea | Roald Dahl and the Children's Gallery | Are hybrids best? - viewpoint

Demonstrations and shows > Shows at the Exploratory | Exploding Can Demonstration | Water to wine Demonstration | Nitrogen story - urban myth?

Millennium News > More Millennium Grants | Pantechniques rewarded | Millennium awards scheme | A listing of interactive projects funded by lottery grants

Research > Measuring the performance of interactive centres

Resources and conferences > Conferences and Future Events | Indian Science Congress Report | Managing Science Centres Book Review | Children's Museums Book information

BIG > BIG Moves - From the Chair | BIG AGM Report | BIG Annual Report 1997