Kalam stresses scientific enquiry, commitment among students

Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, Jan 5 (UNI) Calling for scientific enquiry and commitment among students, President A P J Abdul Kalam today underlined the need for a flexible admission system and a liberal atmosphere in schools to enable young minds to blossom.

Inaugurating the National Children Science Congress as part of the ongoing 94th Indian Science Congress (ISC) at the Annamalai University here, he said that imbibing the character of great scientists, our student community could also make a greater contribution towards science in the country as well as in the international level.

Pathbreaking results in science were made possible only by an enquiring mind with careful observation, he told the young scientists, reminding them of the need to develop commitment with perseverance.

This was very much evident in the early life of many a great scientist from which the present generation too could draw inspiration, it was pointed out.

In his opinion, the freedom to learn was essential to nurture and develop talents, and the Swiss model of liberal education offered more scope in this direction. To emphasise this, he cited the case of Einstein, who was admitted to the polytechnic despite having failed the entrance test.

Urging the young scientists to overcome adversity through hard work and perseverance with an unsatiable thirst for knowledge, like the great scientists, the President said 60 more years awaited them to contribute to the nation and to the humanity.

Providing glimpses of five scientists viz, Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky, of Russia, pioneer of cosmonautics engaged in the theoretical formulations of rocket technology, Chandrasekhar Subramanyam, the astrophysicist, Sir C V Raman, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking, he called the student community to emulate their footsteps.

''The young scientific minds assembled here have the responsibility to create conditions on planet earth so that the human race can survive to come,'' he added.

UNI