Science Museum in the shadows

The Science Museum has a vital role to play in sparking interest in science among the younger generation as well as providing recreation to the city dwellers; it has sadly failed in its role

by SHAFIQ RAHMAN

The Science and Technology Museum does not draw as many visitors as one would expect. Across the developed world, such museums are very much a part of scientific learning while they also attract visitors who would otherwise have little interest in science. Ours science museum is sadly lacking in these qualities.
The four-storied building with an area of 83,600 sq ft that houses the museum catches one's attention with its modern architectural design. There are six galleries in the museum -- the physical science gallery, industrial technology gallery, biology gallery, information technology gallery and the fun science galleries 1 and 2. These occupy an area of 30,000 sq ft. However, the galleries do not resound with the voices of excited children or interested adults. Instead it is all silent, only the occasional chitchat of the staff.
Mohammad Shahidul Islam, Assistant of the Fun Science Gallery offers an explanation: "Usually the galleries are not as empty as you see them today. It's rather quiet now during the month of Ramadan. He did not sound very convincing.
The museum is tucked away in a rather unknown corner of Agargaon. And it is hardly advertised so very few people even are aware about its existence. "The people will have to know about it first before expecting them visit it," says Mohammed Shahidul Islam.
According to records of the National Museum authority, the National Science and Technology Museum drew 32,081 people from July 2007 to June 2008. This is really insignificant. Mohammed Shahidul Islam says, "The real problem is that there is a declining interest in science education among today's students. I have found out from a number of schools and colleges that the number of students in the science departments is going down. Nowadays everybody is studying commerce. Then there are those who study science without taking Elective Math. What is the use of studying science if you are weak in Mathematics?" Islam adds. One sees little logic behind his explanation, and no relevance to the issue. The Science Museum could, after all, promote interest in science. Aren't laypersons visiting the science museums all over the world, enjoying the wonders of nature, the great achievements of science? What has anything got to do with being a science student?
Mohammed Nasiruddin, Director of the museum, has his own explanation for such a decline in interest in science: "People can hardly manage two meals a day, how can they bother themselves about science?"
On April 26, 1965, the Pakistan Government established the Science and Technology Museum through an executive order. The objective was to promote and spread science education as well as organise exhibitions of scientific equipment so that people in general and students in particular found interest in science. Since the beginning the Museum was entrusted with three main responsibilities -- organizing exhibitions, undertaking educational programs and bringing out publications. But the museum has done precious little in the field of publications and promoting science education; its main focus has only been in exhibitions. A large part of the blame for this piteous state in science education thus falls on the museum as well.
The arrangement of the things has also been poor. "You have to ensure continuity in the arrangement, but looking at the objects on display it seems these objects have been collected separately and are then being displayed," says Asif, a science enthusiast and speaker on scientific matters.
The collection is not very rich. Most of the 700 items that are on display are rather boring. Two young visitors namely Mamun and Suman, both students of class VIII and both coming from Rajshahi, are roaming around the different floors of the museum. Their faces lack any expression of excitement one would expect. Suman, however, says that he liked one or two things. The ones about which he had studies in his textbooks interested him. "For example, Newton's third law, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. I enjoyed seeing this practically. But we are unfortunate as we could not see the practical manifestation of Newton's first law due to power failure," he said.
In fact the power problem has made things worse. Without electricity it is not possible to see some of the items that can be shown practically. "This is my second visit with my younger brother. During my first visit too we could not see a lot of things due to power failure," said a despairing Mamun. The Gallery Assistant admitted the disturbance created by frequent power failures. Mohammed Nasiruddin said they have generators but that these do not cover the entire museum.

No publications, no educational programs

Theoretically the National Science and Technology Museum is supposed to organize film shows, video shows as well as seminars and symposiums about science-related issues. But that has not happened over the last few years. Their three-monthly journal called Nabin Biggyani has also not been coming out. In fact the last issue off the magazine was published in March 2005. The museum's Assistant Curator Sukallayan Boshar admits that they are not doing the things that the museum had been doing in the past. "We are in the process of resuming all those activities," he however assures. He did not specify what stopped them in the first place. About the journal he says, "We cannot bring out the journal regularly due to shortage of quality write-ups."

Science Clubs inactive

There are some 4,000 Science Clubs across the country, but most of them are practically closed due to resource constraints. Unlike in the past, these clubs are not getting any support from the National Science and Technology Museum for the last six years. A new policy was made that set out some criteria for the operation of science clubs. The policy demands that the club will have to register with the regulatory authority. The registration criteria demand that a club must include the City Corporation, pourashava or Union Council's member or Commissioner. The director of the club will have to be an inventor, a scientific innovator. An official of the museum explains, "These criteria have been set to make sure these clubs function properly. We have seen clubs that do little, but are always eager for funds."
"Practising science is simply not possible if conditions are laid down that you will have to involve the local Commissioner for running a science club. So far as I know, this bizarre condition was suggested by the Science Museum," Asif says.
The condition that the director must be an inventor is equally ridiculous, Asif adds. A person who takes interests in practising science and wants to promote science education should be qualified enough for running a science club. Why must he be an inventor? From such conditions you can realise whether the Science Museum actually wants to encourage practising science or discouraging it, Asif says.

Resumption of an innovative practise

A 10-year project, the National Science and Technology Museum Development, was undertaken in 1995. Under this project a 56-seat bus was used to bring students of different schools to the museum and show them the exhibits. But with the end of the project in 2005 this also stopped. The museum authority however said that the bus is being repaired and very soon the activity will be resumed.

Development of young scientists

A project named "Development of Young and Non-Professional Scientists' Discoveries" was undertaken in 1988. In this project a three-month scholarship is awarded to 10 young scientists every year who develop their projects at the museum. The monthly grant was Tk 4,000 per scientist. It was learnt that so far about 200 projects have been developed. Last year six such projects were developed. These included wood moulders, multi-purpose spray machines, engine compressor testing machines, funny fountains, electric air cleaner and compost out of garbage. These projects were supposed to be exhibited, but that has not happened. The Curator of the Science Museum Sraboni Pal says that the project is in the process of being approved and when it is approved they will organize exhibitions. When asked if the museum has been able to promote the invented projects by young scientists, the Assistant Curator points out that it is not the museum's responsibility. "Our job is to provide support for the development of the projects, not promoting them," he says.
The Science Museum has many ambitious plans that include completion of the museum building, modernization of the galleries, establishing branches in five divisional cities, and gradually establishing such museums in district headquarters and organizing mobile exhibitions in remote villages. But given its performance so far one wonders how they would implement such ambitious plans. Experts suggest it should collaborate with science clubs and educational institutes for organizing science conferences, science fairs, science speeches, seminars, workshops, etc, if they really want to promote science education and practising science in the country.