I’ve just become a student member of the British Association of Science so that I can attend upcoming the Festival of Science for free. In the newsletter, I’m told that Science Year has been extended to the end of 2003.
I’ve never been a fan of grand gestures like ‘Science Year’, partly because I’ve never seen it done well, and partly because I don’t think that giving something a year will necessarily improve anything. I’m not sure that even 1% of people would be able to tell you that 2002 was the Science Year, or any events that it involved.
I’d rather see more fundamental changes made if science education is to be improved in this country, starting with better teaching at school. Extending it to 2003 makes the entire enterprise ridiculous – what does Science Year mean, if it lasts for 24 months? And what happens when (or indeed, if) Science Year finally ends?
mssv 