Concern over declining admissions in mathematics, pure sciences undergraduate courses
Most higher education institutions are expecting the new academic year to reflect a decline in the number of students opting for Mathematics and Geography, and an increase in the popularity of Arts courses, educationists have said.
A survey of over 700 Class XII students from public and private schools in Tiruchi district conducted by SRM Tiruchi Arts and Science College this week revealed that Commerce and Information Technology (IT) are the preferred choice with more than 60% of registrations in the most sought-after courses.
'Students appear to focus on career-oriented education, favouring courses that enhance professional opportunities and employability. Unlike in the past, today's aspiring college-goers are able to review and select courses through social media and internet. Despite this advantage, they are more liable to get distracted while studying as seen in lower placement rates in many institutions,' M. Kirubaharan, assistant professor, Department of Management Studies, SRM Tiruchi Arts and Science College, who led the survey team, told The Hindu.
The survey showed that for Class XII students from a non-science background, Bachelor of Commerce (45%) is the most popular course, followed by B. Com Computer Application (24%) and Bachelor of Business Administration (18%).
B.Sc Computer Science-related courses (59%) are the leading choice, followed by B.Sc Microbiology (10%), B.Sc. Mathematics (8%), and Fashion Technology (6%).
Those with a science background prefer MBBS (46%) and B.Sc Nursing (37%), reflecting strong aspirations in the medical field.
Computer Science Engineering related streams are favoured by 60% of students with Aeronautical Engineering (14%) and Electrical and Electronics Engineering (7%) following behind, according to the survey.
'Students who are entering higher education in the post-pandemic era are less likely to take up B.Sc. Mathematics or Geography, because they tend to see them as difficult subjects. Even though these subjects offer good job prospects, candidates are staying away from them due to parental or peer pressure,' said K. Vasudevan, principal, Thanthai Periyar Government Arts and Science College.
In many city colleges, post-pandemic first year undergraduate applications in Maths and Geography have dropped to 25-30 students from as many as 200 in earlier times, said academicians.
'Even students who score well in Mathematics in school, prefer to avoid taking it up in college because they feel daunted by the syllabus. We have modified the course by including programming languages like Python, and hands-on training to make Maths more attractive, but students are still unwilling to join,' said A. Prasanna, assistant professor, Department of Mathematics, at Jamal Mohamed College.
'A good grasp of Mathematics is essential for understanding Computer Science and related courses such as Data Science, and could lay the foundation for multi-disciplinary research in our country,' said S. Ismail Mohideen, director, Academic Development, Jamal Mohamed College.
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