How are the Sciences currently taught in India?

In the last few decades, Science education has become divided into two forms of practice: universities have largely focused on teaching while research institutions have focused on scientific discovery. The problem with this bifurcation is that Science faculty at colleges are not encouraged to conduct research and research institutions are not able to attract enough young people who can train to become future scientists.

Why is Ashoka launching a Science programme and how does it fit into a Liberal Arts education?

Historically, it was believed that young minds had to be trained in both the Sciences and the Humanities to develop a sound intellect and imagination. Any problem had to be looked at from multiple perspectives. The separation of these fields in teaching institutions happened much later. In today’s world of increasing complexity, it is time to reconsider this age-old model. We have to find commonalities and overlaps in the Sciences and Humanities to come up with novel, creative and relevant solutions. Top-ranking universities around the globe follow this approach. So, it is not as if we are importing an alien concept into our model, we are just completing a picture which was only partially painted.

How will Ashoka’s Science programme be different from what other universities are offering?

Ashoka is adopting a more holistic approach to teaching the Sciences. Through this programme, students will not only acquire current and in-depth knowledge of Science subjects but also learn to contextualize this knowledge with inputs from the Humanities and Social Sciences. Additionally, students will gain exposure to new careers at the intersection

of Science and Humanities. For instance, there are a host of new careers such as Science Journalism or the Sociology of Science.

Additionally, the science programme will help create a strong appetite for research in our young students. After a three- year programme, students will have the completely unique opportunity to stay on for a fourth year to take a capsule course in another subject which will enhance their profile or work on an in-depth science research project under a faculty member.

How is Ashoka ensuring that this programme meets international standards?

We have engaged a number of leading Indian scientists to institute a Science Advisory Committee. The committee will guide us on curriculum, resources and faculty recruitment. These scientists include Sabyasachi Bhattacharya (Physicist; former Director, TIFR Mumbai), L. S. Shashidhara (Biologist; Coordinator of Biology, IISER, Pune), Rajeeva Karandikar (Mathematician; Director, Chennai Mathematical Institute), and Sumantra Chattarji (Biologist; Professor, NCBS Bengaluru).

This committee meets regularly to brainstorm on planning the departments and drafting the curricula. In addition, all the committee members will all engage in some form of teaching, either through guest lectures or through courses.

What kinds of majors and facilities will be available to students?

Ashoka already offers a Math, Computer Science and Psychology major. In Phase I, we will introduce Physics and Biology as two new majors.

We are also building world-class labs with specialized equipment in consultation with India’s finest research institutions: IISER (Pune), NCBS (Bangalore) and TIFR (Mumbai).