School Science Learning and Languages

This article was published in L'Express of 26th August 2003.  

This article aims at presenting the importance and role of language skills in science learning and stresses the need for making systematic and deliberate attempts to ensure that students master the basic skills with a view to enriching their science learning.

Recently during a workshop on assessment criteria, many teachers had queries related to language requirements for sciences. Most of these queries emerged because of teachers’ commitment to ensure that their students obtain good results. However, many had not realised the importance of language skills for sciences. Many science students also share their views. It is not unusual to hear science students say, ‘I don’t like languages.’

School Science: Why has it assumed such a narrow view?

I refer to the interviews of the President of Student Union of the University of Mauritius where she openly expressed her dissatisfaction with science education and Nobel Laureate Prof Hoffman as well as the editorials published in Le Mauricien on 7th and 8th August 2008.

It would be an understatement that I had mixed feelings while reading these. Some difficult and disturbing questions arise. Why is school science considered boring and a waste of time? This question acquires more importance when we consider who are making these statements. These are not students who dropped out of a science course for any number of reasons ranging from their difficulty to make sense of it or to the pull factor of other courses that promise a lucrative future with huge salaries but those who form part of the top set that has successfully completed the "A" level science.