The Indian National Young Academy of Sciences (INYAS) is working on a white paper to understand the reasons of a decreasing popularity of Basic Sciences among school children across the country.

In recent years, India has witnessed a noticeable decline in student enrollment in mathematics and science disciplines. Speaking in a local context for instance, 19 different degree colleges of Kashmir division have withdrawn Mathematics and Physics from the list of major courses offered by them in past three to four years owing to consistently poor enrolment in such subjects. Otherwise regarded as the backbone of national progress and innovation, especially in current times, these fields are increasingly viewed by students as intellectually stimulating and quite demanding and yet insufficiently rewarding. Mathematics and science education requires sustained intellectual effort, long years of specialization, and continuous skill upgradation. Students pursuing engineering, pure sciences, or advanced mathematics often face intense academic pressure, high competition, and yet there are uncertain career outcomes. A student may spend a decade or more mastering complex scientific concepts, only to enter a job market that offers modest salaries, limited authority, and minimal public recognition which is highly demotivating for them. In contrast, careers accessed through comparatively simpler academic routes, such as a general Bachelor of Arts degree followed by success in civil service examinations offers immediate access to power, immense prestige, authority, and social recognition. The promise of official protocol, decision-making authority, job security, and societal reverence makes civil services far more appealing than scientific, technical or research-oriented careers.

Despite all effort, many science-based careers do not guarantee proportional financial security or social status, especially in the early and mid stages of employment. Researchers, scientists, and academicians frequently struggle with limited funding, contractual positions, and slower professional growth. This contrast has significantly reshaped student aspirations and educational choices.

Social perception plays a crucial role in shaping these preferences. In many societies, an administrative officer is viewed as a symbol of success, integrity, and influence. The public visibility and ceremonial decorum attached to the role far outweigh the recognition given to scientists, mathematicians, or engineers, whose profound contributions often remain invisible to society at large. Parents and peers frequently reinforce this hierarchy of prestige, encouraging their wards to pursue careers that offer status rather than intellectual fulfillment or innovation.

In that context a not so recent yet popular interview of well known Khan Sir (Faisal Khan) who is a highly popular and respected Indian educator, YouTuber, and founder of Khan GS Research Centre based in Patna, Bihar said in a podcast with Smita Prakash in 2025, how great brains and hardly any one of them from UPSC have actually transformed the potential of this country in various fields. He particularly mentioned about Homi Jehangir Bhabha, a nuclear theoretical physicist, widely credited as the “father of the Indian nuclear programme”, Satish Dhawan and Vikram Sarabhi as the men behind Indian space program; APJ Kalam, the missile man of India and M.S. Swaminathan the geneticist who hailed as the “Father of Green Revolution in India.” He emphasized how innovation is different from execution. It requires original minds rather than the mere possession of soft skills of communication, verbose and diction.

Consequently, the science and engineering graduates who are trained rigorously in logical problem-solving, quantitative reasoning, machine learning frameworks, and system design often self-select out of the public services and remain in the private sector. This creates a disconnect since policymakers without technical literacy may struggle to oversee sectors that are inherently technical. This also raises serious questions about whether the structure and orientation of different examinations for recruitment to public services remains relevant. Do the exams privilege the “right” kind of talent, or do they unintentionally sideline the very skills India needs to compete in the 21st century. This is concerning because Governance today isn’t just about decoding history or laws but it involves understanding data analytics, designing and regulating technology platforms and steering policy on cybersecurity, AI governance, climate tech, and healthcare innovation.

This is why the critics have for long been arguing that most of the recruitment exams prioritize rote learning, broad trivia, and essay writing over domain expertise which often excludes people with deep technical training especially in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Additionally, policy and institutional frameworks have failed to adequately reward excellence in science and mathematics leading to a huge brain drain since independence. Consequently, independent India is yet to have a Nobel laureate in any of the fundamental sciences while as the same people of Indian origin (POIs) have worked wonders elsewhere. Insufficient investment in research, lack of industry-academia collaboration, and limited career pathways discourage students from entering these fields. When nations do not visibly celebrate or compensate scientific achievement, students naturally gravitate toward careers that promise clearer and faster returns on investment.

In a nut-shell, the declining enrollment in mathematics and science is not a reflection of reduced intellectual capacity or interest among students, but rather a rational response to existing career incentives. When a common college degree in arts or moderate sciences can lead to elite administrative positions offering power, prestige, and protocol, while rigorous scientific education offers uncertain rewards, students will inevitably choose the former. This was also amply highlighted by more widely known teacher of national eminence, Dr. Vikas Divyakarti in a podcast with Raj Shamani wherein he said that offering same incentives to a teacher or a technocrat as that of a bureaucrat will shift the paradigm promisingly and immediately. Thus to reverse the trend, societies must elevate the status of scientific careers, improve compensation and working conditions, and publicly recognize the vital role of mathematicians and scientists in national development. Without such reforms, the imbalance between effort and reward will continue to undermine the future of science and innovation.

Dr. Qudsia Gani, Head Dept. of Physics, Govt. Degree College, Pattan, J&K

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