The All India Peoples Science Network (AIPSN) decided to join the Global March for Science to on 14^th April, 2018. The AIPSN sees a pattern in the attacks on science and reason across the world. The US President Trump’s denial of climate science, and the current Indian central government Ministers’ rejection of evolution, and other scientific advances, are prime examples. See a Video report here.

The feedback on the policy and the committee report is submitted by AIPSN to the nation based on the inputs drawn from the experts researching on education, the teachers working in the field of education and the scientists and technologists working in the AIPSN member organizations.

  The sharply increased centralization in NEP2020 will erode federalism and the rights of States. Even though Education is in the Concurrent List, under NEP2020 the States will only be allowed to implement Centrally-imposed policies under supervision of Central agencies for examinations, admissions, standards, funding and assessment, and with centrally imposed text books. NEP2020 leaves almost no scope for State-level shaping of Education which is essential in India because of its cultural, social and linguistic diversity. This makes it even more necessary that deliberations be held in State Assemblies, positions be taken by State Governments, and public opinion be mobilized in States to put forward State-level perspectives on education and the NEP2020 proposals.

Click link to read full details... 13.The Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) which are part of the ABC system are those which have the NAAC grade of ‘A’. Only 205 out of a total of 875 Universities are eligible which is just 23% of the Universities. In the case of colleges 1844 have greater than A grade out of total 38498 colleges, that is just 5% are eligible. This scheme is elitist in concept and implementation. 14. In theory, this UGC ABC sounds as if it is very useful and revolutionary. In reality it will not help first generation students. It will benefit 3rd or nth generation learners as they will be able to navigate the system better both conceptually and financially. City based students would fare better in using this ABC than rural students. In general, this UGC ABC will increase the educational divide in society along caste, minorities, and rural fault lines. 15. AIPSN calls upon UGC to abandon this flawed Centralised Academic Bank Credit and instead initiate a discussion on the enabling the credit system to first function properly for even in the words of Abbott Lowell who was President of Harvard University in USA: “The real unit is the student. He is the only thing in education that is an end in itself”. Click link to read full details...

The NSTD 2021 campaign by AIPSN and fraternal organisations have demanded: 1.Astrology (i.e. predictive part of Jyotishastra) related courses should be discontinued from every public funded university. Instead of that we demand the introduction of Astronomy in Indian universities. 2.Reversal of privatization policies and restoration of scientific policy for ensuring good quality public health care as a universal right. 3.The government stops its attacks on media reporting honestly on the Covid situation. 4.Respect be shown to our constitutional article 51a(h) for actively promoting scientific temper at a mass level in order to effectively combat and defeat the Covid pandemic. 5.An atmosphere of tolerance, debate and dissent which helps science and scientific temper to flourish. 6.Culprits involved in the assassination of Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, MM Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh are punished.

All India Peoples Science Network (AIPSN) has been actively engaged with a critical appraisal of the Union Government’s proposals for a new education policy since its release as a draft DNEP 2020 calling for comments from the public, then as a finalized National Education Policy (NEP) document with many changes to the earlier draft but without rationale or explanation of responses to suggestions received, and finally to the aggressive roll-out of the NEP without discussion in Parliament or the States despite Education being a Concurrent subject. AIPSN’s detailed critique of NEP, highlighting the many objectionable and undesirable aspects of NEP, have been widely discussed and disseminated. ... AIPSN pledges on this Save Education Day, to work with JFME and other stakeholders, teachers, students and parents to oppose and reverse the NEP, to defend and expand public education, and work to improve the education system so as to answer to the needs of all sections of India’s diverse society and to meet the aspirations of India’s youth for a bright future...click the LINK to read more...

AIPSN calls for a re-constitution of the Steering Committee with persons having a deep understanding about learners in diverse and disparate socio-cultural contexts, disciplinary knowledge of school education and domain expertise in teacher education/adult education, as well as sound experience of the pedagogical processes required to develop a National Curriculum Framework. Moreover, if there is serious concern for the future of all our learners, the Committee will need to address the challenges of education with commitment to the Constitution and a focus on equity, quality and inclusion.

click link to read details... The current crisis in NEET illustrates how excessive centralization can lead to a nation-wide crisis in many critical areas. Having created this problem the centre has to be more pro-active in solving it. Though for this year it needs to go ahead with an interim arrangement by which admissions would continue, this whole crisis is also a call for re-examining NEET and all such forms of excessive centralization. Without going into the merits or otherwise of NEET itself, All India Peoples Science Network demands the Government of India to speed up the NEET Medical PG Counselling for those who have taken the exams in good faith; and considering the great threat this delay poses to public health; and for strengthening the public health services to be able to fight another possible  wave of the Covid pandemic.

AIPSN calls upon UGC to abandon or keep in abeyance this flawed National Higher Education Qualification Framework (NHEQF)  and instead first enable the infrastructure and functional requirements for such a  Qualification Framework to function properly...click the link to read the details

All India Peoples’ Science Network (AIPSN) is concerned that the National Education Policy 2020 implementation in respect of the content of school education at the NCERT having wider academic, educational, political and social implications is already underway. Changes have been made without any academic considerations or academic logic.....All the changes have been done in a hasty ad hoc manner. Academics, teachers and the Peoples’ Science Movements have earlier also made their apprehensions clear about the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, to the Union Government and the State Governments who have the responsibility and decision and policy making power. ...click link to read more

.....In this the 75th year of Independence, the Peoples Science Movement looks at how our independent nation started, what was achieved, what went wrong and what prospects and challenges lie ahead in the future.... To achieve its due, India needs to re-generate, re-imagine and take forward the values and aspirations of its freedom movement in the contemporary context and learning from all the missteps, failures and missed opportunities over the years...The Peoples Science Movement will take this message to the people during the year through grassroots dialogues and other mass contact programmes. ..Click LINK to read the full text.. 

 AIPSN calls upon UGC to abandon this draft regulation to setup and operate campuses of foreign higher educational institutions in India and instead initiate an open discussion with the stakeholders in India to enable the higher education system in India to first function properly to achieve that Education Ambedkar wanted: “Education is what makes a person fearless, teaches him the lesson of unity, makes him aware of his rights and inspires him to struggle for his rights”. click link to read the details

The award ceremony for Dr. Narendra Dhabolkar Award instituted by Maharashtra Foundation took place in Pune on Saturday 28th January 2023. President AIPSN Satyajit Rath and General Secretary AIPSN Asha Misha received the award on behalf of AIPSN. The EC of AIPSN was also represented by Convenor of Scientific Temper Desk Arunabha Misra  along with Vivek Monteiro, Geeta Mahashabde , others from BGVS Maharashtra and Samata Coordinator. The President AIPSN Dr. Satyajit Rath gave the acceptance speech. The article on Universalizing Scientific Temper from AIPSN was published in the Maharashtra Foundation Souvenir.  The EC of AIPSN had earlier decided to accept only the non-monetary part of the award. The memorial plaque received is shown in picture in the link.  Click the link to see the details and the pdf of the article in English and Marathi.

As part of the Knowledge as Commons webinar series started on AIPSN Foundation Day on Feb 11 is being celebrated by a series of webinars on "Knowledge as Commons" based on the book by Prabir Puryakastha. The inaugural webinar was on Feb 11 6.30pm. The secod seminar was on 21st Feb at 6.30pm continues the theme. You can join via fb live page of AIPSN or through zoom. See link for details..

As part of the #SaveEducationSaveTheNation campaign AIPSN and BGVS are organising the National Education Assembly on 30th April 2023 at New Delhi. It is supported by other fraternal organisations such as JFME, AIFUCTO, STFI, SFI, AIDWA, AFRTE, RTE forum, FEDCUTA, JNU Teachers Association, DTF, All India Education Committee, AIFAWH. The national assembly will discuss an alternate education policy and the demands of the People's Science Movement under the campaign #SaveEducationSaveTheNation and intensify the actions of resistance in the coming times.

Jan Vigyan Samachar is the Hindi version of the AIPSN newsletter. The second issue is now available - On Education. We were happy to publish earlier our newsletter after a long break. The newsletter People's Science was released at the National Education Assembly in New Delhi on 30 April and was updated after that. We hope to have more content in the future

ON 17 October 2023, NCERT released ten  special modules in English and Hindi on Chandrayaan 3, for circulating to millions of school students as supplementary reading material. However due to severe criticism as seen in  press and media coverage the NCERT initially took down the webpage on the modules but after the Government defended the modules in a PIB release on 25 October saying “Mythology and philosophy put forward ideas and ideas lead to innovation and research” the website came back online!  The pdf link of the modules (English) are given in this page

There is a clear danger that this wrong information will be transmitted to students as-is and cause real harm. Or worse: the content is so badly written that students will be put off this exciting field. Members of the scientific community and all rationally minded citizens should summarily reject this shoddily prepared material. The way NCERT reacted after the criticism to withdraw them and then put them back on after the government defended the mythology must not happen again. The demand is that NCERT recalls all these modules at once permanently. For more details and to see the list of some of the errors and pseudoscientific claims

We are happy to publish our newsletter after a long break. The newsletter People's Science or Jan Vigyan was released at the National Education Assembly in New Delhi on 30 April and has been updated after that. We hope to have more content in the future

AIPSN rejects all kinds of centralized entrance examinations for any kind of state hr. education admissions including NEET, CUET, etc., . NEET is against federalism. NEET is against social justice. NEET contradicts the fundamental requirements of our constitution. To fulfill the needs of the medical aspirants and the demands of society, the union govt. may permit state medical colleges and medical college hospitals for every district of the state, which is deficient in many of the states.

NSTD2024 emphasis is on the Kolkata 2024 Declaration on Scientific Temper, which underscores the urgent need for a renewed commitment to evidence-based reasoning and critical analysis in India. ....The issues related to IKS outlined here exemplify a broader agenda that necessitates critique. Similarly, the coercive influence exerted at institutions like South Asian University poses a significant threat to academic freedom and demands vigilant oversight. These developments highlight the critical importance of NSTD 2024, which is anchored in the Kolkata Declaration on Scientific Temper, serving as a vital advocate for scientific integrity and unhindered rational inquiry in India. Click the link to read full statement