Goodbye Darwin: NCERT drops evolutionary theory; scientific community worried

Hyderabad: The country’s scientific community is shocked to learn that the idea of biological evolution, which was part of the 10th-grade science curriculum, has been dropped. During the Covid-19 pandemic, it was first discontinued as a temporary measure for syllabus reduction. However, according to an NCERT document, it has been withdrawn permanently as part of the “content rationalization” process!

The scientific community believes that if pupils are not exposed to this basic scientific finding, their cognitive processes would be severely hampered. Since Darwin proposed his theory of natural selection, the fact that the biological world is constantly changing, evolution is a law-governed process that does not require divine intervention, and humans evolved from some species of ape has been a cornerstone of rational thinking.

To express their concerns, the scientific community wrote an open letter signed by over 1,800 scientists, science instructors, educators, science popularisers, and sensible people denouncing the NCERT’s decision. It asks that Darwin’s theory of evolution be taught with sufficient emphasis in the 9th and 10th grades.

“We, the undersigned, have discovered that major modifications to the CBSE curriculum in secondary and senior secondary courses are being suggested. These adjustments, which were initially implemented as a temporary solution during the Corona epidemic, are being maintained even though schooling has returned to an offline mode. We are particularly worried about the removal of Darwinian evolution from the 10th-grade curriculum, as evidenced by material accessible on the NCERT website (see https://ncert.nic.in/pdf/BookletClass10.pdf, page 21),” the appeal read.

Only a tiny percentage of students in grade 11 or 12 pick the scientific stream, and an even smaller percentage of those choose biology as one of their fields of study. Thus, the removal of crucial topics from the curriculum until grade 10 amounts to a significant reduction. The bulk of pupils is missing an important component of vital learning in this discipline, they said.

“Comprehending and knowledge of evolutionary biology is essential not just for any subject of biology, but also for comprehending the world around us. Evolutionary biology is a branch of science that has a significant impact on how we choose to deal with a wide range of problems that societies and nations face, including medicine and drug discovery, epidemiology, ecology and environment, and psychology, as well as our understanding of humans and their place in the tapestry of life,” the letter added.

It continued, “Although many of us aren’t aware of it, natural selection principles help us understand how pandemics spread and why certain species become extinct, among other vital challenges.”

It further said, “Understanding the evolution process is also important in developing a scientific temperament and a reasonable worldview. The way Darwin’s meticulous observations and insightful insights led him to the idea of natural selection teaches students about the scientific process and the value of critical thinking. It is a farce of education to deny children who do not continue to study biology after the tenth grade any exposure to this extremely essential topic.

“We, the scientists, science instructors, educators, scientific popularizers, and concerned people, oppose such harmful modifications in school science instruction and urge that Darwinian evolution be reinstated in secondary school,” the appeal concluded.

T. V. Venkateswaran, Delhi; Anindita Bhadra, Kolkata; Soumitro Banerjee, Kolkata; S. Krishnaswamy, Madurai; N. G. Prasad, Mohali; Aurnab Ghose, Pune; Satyajeet Rath, Pune; Shraddha Kumbhojkar, Pune; Sudha Rajamani, Pune; Vineeta Bal, Pune; and 1,800 others are the science enthusiasts who filed this appeal.