CHENNAI: Several privately managed arts and science colleges in Chennai, and 29 government colleges, are closing certain departments including, but not limited to, mathematics, and physics, chemistry, botany and zoology, because of a sharp decline in student enrolment. This raises serious concerns about the future of higher education in science streams.
Basic sciences form the backbone of discoveries and technological advancements across the globe. Mathematics, physics, chemistry, botany, and zoology have historically played a crucial role in shaping research, innovation, and teaching careers. However, in recent years, interest has been waning among youngsters wanting to pursue undergraduate degrees in these subjects.
Traditionally, these courses were popular among students aspiring to become teachers or research scientists. Over time, the rapid expansion of engineering education and the growing perception that ‘professional courses guarantee better career prospects’ have led students to move away from pure-science streams. As a result, a few reputed institutions in Chennai have either reduced intake or completely discontinued certain science programmes such as physics, chemistry, mathematics, botany, zoology, etc.
Some colleges have combined maths with data science to increase enrolment, but it still hasn’t fully encouraged students and their parents to choose these courses
Speaking to DT Next, a woman professor of a college where the maths department was shut down expressed concern over the surge in interest in commerce-related courses such as BCom. “Science subjects are often perceived as difficult, which discourages enrolment,” she stated. “At the school level, students are frequently guided toward medicine and engineering, while UG pure-science courses are wrongly portrayed as offering limited career growth.”
There was a time, not long ago, when pure-science was a preferred choice, particularly by those interested in a teaching career but that has changed. Nobody wants to be a teacher any more, which is also one of the reasons why pure-science courses are unpopular.
Educationist Jayaprakash Gandhi pointed out that those pursuing basic science courses and preparing for teaching careers face significant challenges. “Candidates wanting to become teachers at a government school must clear two exams – TET and a recruitment test; it’s a stringent process,” he opined. “This is one of the reasons for the declining interest in pure-science courses. In the near future, demand will increase for teachers, which could eventually revive the interest in these subjects.”
Chemistry teacher Patric Raymond, who is also the general secretary of TN Graduate Teachers’ Federation, averred that the school curriculum for physics, chemistry and maths in Classes 10-12 has been designed to be difficult. “Changes were made particularly to prepare students for competitive exams like NEET and JEE. So, students are required to study content at the postgraduate level as early as Class 10,” he pointed out. “This acts as a deterrent for students to take on pure-sciences at the college level.”
Candidates wanting to become teachers at a government school must clear two exams – TET and a recruitment test; it’s a stringent process. This is one of the reasons for the declining interest in pure-science coursesJayaprakash Gandhi, educationist
Some colleges have combined maths with data science to increase enrolment, but it still hasn’t fully encouraged students and their parents to choose these courses, said Paul Wilson, principal, Madras Christian College. “While my college continues to receive applications for science courses, competition has reduced compared to previous years, forcing us to lower cut-off marks,” he explained. “Efforts are underway to revamp curricula by integrating skill-based learning and AI to make these programmes more relevant and career-oriented. However, a boom towards any course, whether engineering or arts and science, is not healthy.”
Data science and machine learning courses draw the attention of students in engineering at present. And as always, BCom continues to be the most wanted course this year. Rita John, registrar, University of Madras, said, “There is a growing preference among students for BCom, while interest in science streams has declined. Students should pursue subjects like chemistry and mathematics, as fundamental sciences form the backbone of emerging technologies such as AI. Students must understand that basic sciences drive technological advancements.”
Meanwhile, Professor Suresh from TN Government College Teachers Association expressed concern over the closure of certain departments in government colleges. “A request has been submitted to the Higher Education Department urging that courses with low enrolment should be temporarily suspended rather than permanently shut down,” he clarified.
Confirming the closure of certain departments, M Vijayakumar, vice chairman, State Higher Education Council, said that data will be collected to assess which colleges and departments were affected.
Educationists attribute this shift to a growing tendency among students to choose job-oriented courses. Additionally, the lack of emphasis on research-oriented learning in schools has contributed to declining curiosity toward fundamental sciences.
Despite this trend, experts stress that fields such as medicine, space research, software, and AI are all rooted in basic sciences. They emphasise that scientific breakthroughs and technological progress depend heavily on foundational research carried out by scientists trained in these disciplines.
There is now a growing call for government intervention and policy measures to revive interest in basic science education that encourages students to pursue these subjects for long term developments
Chemistry and mathematics withdrawn at Anna Adarsh College for Women from this academic year
The government higher education department to stop 39 courses in 29 colleges; mathematics in 20 colleges, physics in 7 colleges and other 12 courses both on arts and science