Vedic maths will affect teaching, says Romila Thapar

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, FEB. 24. Historian and Professor Emeritus of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Prof. Romila Thapar, raised several controversial issues relating to education while addressing the Delhi University's 78th Annual Convocation here today.

In her address, which was ``a mix of reminiscence and sermonising'', she said there was a proposal to introduce Vedic mathematics in school and astrology at the university level without seriously considering its present and future implications.

``Mathematics plays a pivotal role in sciences. In recent times, it has entered some social sciences as well through the use of statistics, or as in econometrics.''

``To give currency to Vedic mathematics is a substantial change in the discipline and will affect the teaching of mathematics at the undergraduate level,'' she warned. Further, according to her, there has been very ``little in the way of informed discussion on the required pedagogy for the introduction of Vedic mathematics''.

Similarly, teaching of astrology would be a direct challenge to established knowledge, Prof. Thapar said, adding, ``If it is introduced as a specifically Indian contribution, it will be contradicting the history of ideas with which it claims association.''

Expressing concern over ``social sciences losing their innocence'', the historian said non-professionals such as politicians and presspersons should acquire some knowledge of a subject and how it was being handled before pronouncing their verdict, particularly when a controversy surrounded it.

Referring to the hue and cry about universities being influenced by the colonial era and having little in common with the Indian tradition of learning, she said advocates of this school of thought were trying to reconstruct history without looking into the more relevant questions.

Prof. Thapar stressed the need to forge a link between democracy, education and acquiring knowledge ``to end apartheid which separates the literate from the non-literate''.

She called for bridging the growing divide between the literate and the non-literate that had been accelerated by the technical requirements of education. Unless these disparities were removed, making Indian society democratic would remain a ``Utopian dream''.

She denounced the claim of authorities that the education sector was facing a financial crunch.

``We have donated a vast sum of money to the Oxford University for establishing a Chair in Indian History. There is obviously no shortage of funds. We have ample funds for financing nuclear bombs but not for setting up schools!'' she said linking the Government's reluctance to finance education to its fear of an educated and conscious electorate which would expect accountability from its rulers.

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