Researchers and teachers demand strong funds for education and scientific research

On Wednesday, almost 500 researchers and teachers of premier higher educational institutions marched in central Kolkata demanding heavy funds for education and scientific research and formulation of policies on the part of the Centre for evidence-based science. The 'India March for Science' was organised by the scientific community in protest against alleged attempts to inculcate belief-based and myth-based thinking in modern-day curriculum, stop spreading unscientific beliefs and urged the government to formulate policies based on evidence-based science only, a senior scientist and spokesperson of Breakthrough Society, Asish Samanta told Press Trust of India.

The marchers, including researchers of Jadavpur University, Presidency University, and Calcutta University, among others called for inculcating a scientific temper and stop spreading unscientific beliefs. They demanded robust funding for education and scientific research and urged the governments to formulate policies based on evidence-based science, India March for Science Kolkata organising committee Chairperson Dr Subhraprakash Kajoli said.

Mr Samanta said, since 2017, the scientific community of India has been organising the “March for Science”. "Funding for education remains below three per cent of the GDP and that for scientific research remains below 0.8 per cent of the GDP. Unscientific ideas are now being introduced into the educational curricula in the name of 'Indian Knowledge Systems', an important component of the New Education Policy 2020," he said.