Career in sciences still hot for parents: survey

Science continues to be the field of choice for parents of school students across the country. As part of a 286-respondent survey across six cities , 90% of parents said they wanted their children to pursue science after school, inclusive of fields such as medicine, engineering as well as pure science degrees. Further, 60% wanted their children to get into engineering.

Science continues to be the field of choice for parents of school students across the country. As part of a 286-respondent survey across six cities , 90% of parents said they wanted their children to pursue science after school, inclusive of fields such as medicine, engineering as well as pure science degrees. Further, 60% wanted their children to get into engineering.

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The survey was conducted by education services provider Brain Café and market research firm IMRB through a written questionnaire to parents of children from classes 3 to 8. 43% of respondents said there weren’t enough good colleges in India and almost half the respondents said there weren’t enough seats.

“In India it hasn’t changed much, majority of parents felt the best career options were in the sciences,” said Aman Pal Singh, business head, Braincafe.

75% of parents felt that schools were doing a good job in imparting science education, but also felt the need for exposure to more practical learning, science fairs and innovative teaching techniques. “Schools are trying to teach innovatively, but there needs to be more one-to-one teaching,” said a parent.

However, counsellors said parents were beginning to see the value of degrees. “Many want professional degrees, but not necessarily science; that craze is less now” said Pratibha Jain, an international education consultant.