Abstract
India’s National Science Talent Search (NSTS) examination (1963 to 1976) was imagined and implemented by some top scientists of the period. It aimed to identify “talented” secondary school students with an aptitude for science and mathematics. Selected students attended undergraduate summer schools, did research in special labs during their Master’s degree, and were supported by a scholarship until the completion of a Ph.D. Today, the extent to which NSTS changed the discourse of “talent” as well as the mode and content of large-scale testing in India is often forgotten. Among the innovations that the examination introduced and legitimized include the multiple-choice question (MCQ) format. It shaped a positivist discourse around a special category of questions called the “thought-type” in scientifically establishing the mental acuity of students. It also defined and used “extra-curricular knowledge” as a proxy for scientific interest. Another legacy of NSTS’s discourse of objectivity was a misplaced confidence in separating the performance of candidates from the social advantages/disadvantages that shaped their school experience. Additionally, the importance of expertise in designing the examination did not give space to the input of school science teachers. Eventually, the design of the scheme fell short of the expectations of policy-makers as well as the aspirations of those who were selected. In 1977, the examination was redesigned as a general National Talent Search Examination (NTSE). A critical analysis of the short history of the NSTS enables us to reflect on the construct of “science talent” and the challenges in identifying and nurturing talented students in science.
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Notes
The program was to later become the Intel Science Talent Search in 1998 and subsequently the Regeneron Science Talent Search from 2016 onwards.
In classical Sanskrit philosophy, pratibhā is a supersensuous apperception that is distinct from intellect and is deemed to be the source of the excellence and creativity displayed in outstanding poetic and artistic creation. (Shulman, 2008).
This is a legacy of the prestige associated with the colonial Indian Civil Service which also introduced the modern examination format to select Indian candidates (Kumar, 1991).
The Jagdish Bose National Talent Search Examination precedes the NTSE in that it started in 1956. However, the test could be taken only by “any boy or girl reading in a college affiliated to any of the universities in West Bengal.” Therefore, its reach was not national in the way that the NTSE was.
Adjusting for inflation, this represents a value that is Rs. 6591 (in July 2020) or nearly 88 Dollars, a month.
A union territory is a region directly administered by the Central government of India, rather than a state.
These are castes and tribes who are recognized in the First Schedule of the Indian constitution. Because of the historical socio-economic injustices and disadvantages that they have experienced, members of these groups are entitled to positive discrimination in such as specific reservation in education, employment etc.
This statuatory body under the Ministry of Education is responsible for the determination of standards and the distribution of funding for higher education institutions.
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Philip, R. India’s National Science Talent Search Examination (1963–1976). Sci & Educ 31, 241–263 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-021-00210-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-021-00210-5