The open educational relationship between India and the UK

The parallels between the Indian and English education systems are striking and reflect 200 years of shared history. India, however, does not share the UK’s reputation for higher education. This is something the country is keen to remedy, and policymakers are paying particular attention to the sciences, as evidenced by the establishment of dedicated institutions like the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) and innovation in the design of undergraduate programmes. 

Unfortunately, chemistry lags behind other subjects in terms of popularity. Amidst rampant economic growth, applied fields such as engineering and medicine are perceived as ‘lucrative’ and ‘respectable’, while a chemistry or science career is often regarded as the last resort. The issues might manifest differently between urban and rural environments, and depend upon the type of institution, but the challenges are essentially national.

So, with the challenges for chemistry education being the same in India as they are in the UK, how do we present chemistry as the central source of solutions to the challenges facing humanity in the 21st century? How do we ensure high quality resources are readily available to a diverse and often disadvantaged population? In both societies, much needs to be done to invigorate the teaching and learning process for those that enrol onto science courses.

We strongly believe many of the answers are to be found in the open education movement.

Tejas Joshi and Simon Lancaster discuss the benefits of the open education movement.