Abstract
FOR several years “Everyday Science” has been one of the obligatory subjects of the competitive examinations for the important administrative group of Government services, comprising the Indian and Ceylon Civil, the Foreign Office and Diplomatic, the Consular and Overseas Trade (Intelligence Officer) and Home Civil (Junior Grade of the Administrative Class). We notice with astonishment and regret, therefore, the announcement of the Civil Service Commissioners that, with effect from next year, the subject will be omitted; some optional questions on science will be included under the subject “Present Day”. The scope of the “Everyday Science” paper, now to be discontinued, is indicated by the following passage: “Such knowledge will be expected as candidates will have who have studied science intelligently at school and have since then kept their eyes open. A liberal choice of questions will be given. Attention should be paid to orderly, effective, and exact expression”. The other parts of the obligatory section of the examination are: Essay, English (“to test the understanding of English and the workmanlike use of words”), “Present Day” (being questions on contemporary subjects, social, economic and political, calling for effective and skilful exposition), auxiliary language and viva voce. The inclusion of “Everyday Science” must have exerted an influence on school and college courses, and its omission will be regretted by many who believe in the value of “general science” teaching in schools and hold it to be plainly wrong (to quote the words of Mr. C. M. Bowra in Time and Tide's recent university supplement on “More and More of Less and Less”) that highly educated men should know next to nothing of the structure of the universe or of their own bodies.
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” Everyday Science” and Civil Service Examinations. Nature 136, 825 (1935). https://doi.org/10.1038/136825c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/136825c0