Letters: Subjects of concern

It is sad that India ranks among the lowest in terms of maths, science and reading abilities (“Learning disability,” January 17). Apart from the poor physical infrastructure, the biggest hurdle is the psychological fear created in children’s mind, often by their parents, that maths and pure sciences are dull and difficult subjects. Rote teaching does little to demolish this mental barrier. The stress is on learning theory instead of relating it with practice. A new student-friendly method of teaching these topics needs to be developed and those already being applied need to be popularised. Also the system of doing away with examinations in primary classes needs to be reconsidered since the output (100-per cent pass) does not lead to the desired outcome. Are we ready for this or do we want to satisfy ourselves with the sheer statistics of increasing literacy?

Y G Chouksey Pune

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