Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan (file)
| Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKAT

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday (February 15, 2025) said that despite advances in the field of science and effective interventions by the government, the scientific temper in society was not developing as human sacrifices and superstitions were on the rise.

Calling for “popularisation of science”, the Chief Minister said that superstitious beliefs which were the reason behind acts such human sacrifices were multiplying as people were not seriously concerned about spreading scientific knowledge in society.

He said that popularising science was the most effective way of creating scientific temper in society.

Mr. Vijayan was speaking after inaugurating various projects and a scientific conclave at the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) in Kozhikode. CWRDM is an institute functioning under the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCTE).

He said that the rise of superstitious beliefs and acts was “one side of society, while the other dealt with scientific education.”

He said that by 2050, 75% of the jobs in the world would be in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and so on.

‘Mindset has to change’

“In this situation, we need to examine whether our basic scientific education is progressing accordingly. Merely mentioning new scientific fields in school textbooks is not enough. We need to ensure that the next generation gets the essence of it. There needs to be discussions on this aspect,” he said.

He said that people believe science is only for students of that subject or researchers. “This mindset has to be changed,” he added.

Mr. Vijayan said that scientific knowledge should be spread in such a manner that it benefits everyone and what the present times require is popularising science.

He said that while no one was serious about spreading science, there were “special time slots” to show superstition-based programmes.

Mr. Vijayan said that besides the spread of science, use of scientific knowledge for public benefit was also important.

“Having scientific knowledge is not enough. What is more important is how it is used for benefitting the public,” he said.

The Kerala government’s stand is to use scientific knowledge for the good of humanity and social progress, he added.