Why every Indian must learn about evolution

Source– The post is based on the article “Why every Indian must learn about evolution” published in “The Indian Express” on 14th June 2023.

Syllabus: GS2- Issues related to development and management of education

Relevance- Issues related to curriculum

News– Textbooks published NCERT books for middle and high school classes in India have omitted some chapters. Among the most noticeable are the chapters on evolution and the chapter on the Periodic Table of Elements from the Class 9 and Class 10 science textbooks.

How there exists faith-based denial of Darwin’s theory of evolution across the world?

The creation of man by god has always been among the most preserved beliefs of several religions and religious societies.

Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Algeria and Oman do not teach evolution in schools or universities. In Egypt and Tunisia, evolution is taught but it is presented as an “unproven hypothesis”.

Some states in the United States had either banned the teaching of evolution or decided to teach it alongside “creationism”. Various judgements by the US supreme court blocked the restrictions on teaching evolution.

Why is the teaching of Darwin theory of evolution important for India?

India is facing the challenges of institutionalised caste and other forms of inequalities. Teaching evolution from an early stage helps to shape critical minds and sharpen arguments against institutionalised discrimination.

It is important to read and understand the evolution of humans beyond the purview of religious manuscripts.

Why does the NCERT approach of post-Covid rationalisation of curriculum appear irrational?

First, the teaching of evolution will be limited now to students who take up science in Class 11. The 75th round of NSSO data shows that 74% of the population, 18 years and above, dropped out of school before reaching Class 12.

Many young students could lose an opportunity to study evolution after the NCERT’s rationalisation exercise.

Teaching evolution to primary or secondary school children is about more than imparting scientific knowledge. It is part of the holistic scientific development of children.

Learning about the basics of evolution broadens the horizon of children to understand the process of life beyond the socio-religious sphere. It generates ideas and enhances rational thinking. It imparts the ability to question the status quo.

Science helps society by asking uncomfortable questions about itself and initiating debates.

In a consumerist world, nations work through optics. The government wants to appear good to the rest of the world. Therefore, the deletion of evolution from school textbooks is bad optics. Nature has done an editorial on the rationalisation exercises. It notes that in recent times India is taking pride in its ancient knowledge.