India cuts the periodic table and evolution from schoolbooks – DW – 06/02/2023
www.dw.com
Crucial science topics will no longer be taught to a large swath of Indian students, according to new government guidance.

In a statement, the council rationalized the reduction by stating they wanted to reduce the content load on students in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. On June 1, India cut a slew of foundational topics from tenth grade textbooks, including the periodic table of elements, Darwin’s theory of evolution, the Pythagorean theorem, sources of energy, sustainable management of natural resources and contribution of agriculture to the national economy, among others. These changes effectively block a major swath of Indian students from exposure to evolution through textbooks, because tenth grade is the last year mandatory science classes are offered in Indian schools.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/evolution-periodic-table-to-stay-part-of-class-9-10-syllabus/articleshow/101058188.cms

  • Etterra@lemmy.worldEnglish
    396·
    19 hours ago

    Okay the evolution part, though stupid, is religious fundie par for the course. But middle school geometry? Are they fucking retarded?

    • Etterra@lemmy.worldEnglish
      401·
      19 hours ago

      Short answer, yes.

      In 2018, Indian minister for higher education Satyapal Singh baffled the scientific community by demanding that the theory of evolution be removed from school curriculum becaue “no one ever saw an ape turning into a human being.” Other political leaders from the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party came to his defense on social media.

      • Random_Character_A@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        43 minutes ago

        “no one ever saw an ape turning into a human being.”

        Maybe phylogenetics then? Tells pretty much the same story and is based on measurable data.

      • JPSound@lemmy.worldEnglish
        21·
        18 hours ago

        That statement alone speaks to his fundamental misunderstanding of what evolution is. Stupid people not knowing a subject, understanding their entirely flawed guess is wrong (I agree with them there) yet not realizing WHY they’re wrong, then barring it because how ridiculous what they think it is sounds. Dunning something something Kruger something. I’m 100% for teaching kids that gorillas just dont turn into humans and actually teach them what evolution means.

      • ZMoney@lemmy.worldEnglish
        14·
        19 hours ago

        Everyone knows different dog breeds were invented by god in the 18th century

    • eran_morad@lemmy.worldEnglish
      21·
      18 hours ago

      Yes.

      Imagine not knowing the fucking Pythagorean Theorem. Imagine not being able to do basic trigonometry, a cornerstone of physics.