Essential Skills and Scientific Temper

Manisha Sharma , Tanveer Qureshi

Essential Skills, Soft Skills, National Policy on Education, Scientific temper.

The term “Scientific temper” was first used by the first Prime Minister of Independent India in his book ‘Discovery of India’ in 1946, emphasizing on Indian perspective for human growth and national development. Since then, many initiatives by the educational committees and commissions have been taken up. In 1986, Rajiv Gandhi proclaimed or announced a new education policy, the National Policy on Education (NPE), envisioned to prepare India’s future i.e. for the 21st century. According to the policy ,it is stated that “science education should be strengthened so as to develop in the child well defined abilities and values such as the spirit of inquiry or questioning , creativity, objectivity, the courage to question, and an aesthetic sensibility”. Today, in a progressive modern society, the progress in the field of science and technology have changed traditional fields of work like agriculture and industry, has directed to the advent of exclusively new fields of work which requires an individual demand over essential skills. What these essential skills are? They are skills which are often termed as soft skills like creativity, objectivity, communication, work ethics, grit, critical thinking, time management, confidence and collaboration. With the advancement and growth of the society it is now high time when we should not label all these skills as soft skills but essential skills. It is very important to foster the development of these essential skills to our students. This paper reflects on how the educators can adopt certain scientific ways which will help them to develop all these essential skills.

Volume 5 Issue 5, May-2020

Pages : 85 - 87