The Vice President of India, M Venkaiah Naidu today virtually inaugurated the new residential wing of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc) at DAE Nodal Centre, Pallavaram, Chennai. Speaking about the importance of Mathematics and India's rich legacy in the subject, Mr Naidu referred to the invaluable contribution made by the great Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.
Calling for unearthing hidden talent among children, the Vice President underlined that there was no dearth of talent among children and that it was important to find and nurture the talent.
Observing that many children get intimidated by mathematics and develop fear and anxiety at the prospect of learning the subject, the Vice President urged educators to substitute the practice of rote memorization with creative methods and hands-on activities to make children friends with numbers.
In order to achieve this, the Vice President suggested that the provisions of New National Education Policy should be fully capitalised and pedagogical changes be brought into primary education. He added that a strong foundational STEM must be complemented by encouraging children to take up careers in science. He also urged the private sector to partner with academic institutes to strengthen STEM research.
Along with the Vice President, KP Anbalagan Tamil Nadu Minister for Higher Education; Professor V Arvind, Director, IMSc; Dr Arun Kumar Bhaduri, Director, IGCAR, Department Of Atomic Energy, Kalpakkam; Selvi Apoorva, Principal Secretary to Government, Higher Education Department, Tamil Nadu; S Vishnu Prasad, Registrar, IMSc; students and staff were also present on the occasion.
Speaking at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, the Vice President spoke about the trends in STEM and how the potential of the data science revolution in job creation can be tapped. Expressing his happiness at the proliferation of distance education courses offered by national institutes like IITs, he wanted technical courses to be offered in regional languages to benefit more number of students.
Stressing the importance of making science education available in local languages, Mr Naidu said that it will help students in understanding the subject better and will help in innovation. Stating that no language should be imposed or opposed, he called upon the people to learn as many languages as possible but give primacy to the mother tongue.
The Vice President appreciated the efforts of IMSc in furthering quality fundamental research, particularly its involvement in India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO),the mega-science project. He expressed confidence that this ambitious project will elevate India's global position as a leader in scientific research. Mri Naidu also appreciated the institute for undertaking science outreach programs in Tamil Nadu and stressed that the need of the hour is to inculcate scientific temper in people, especially in children.
