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UPDATED: September 5, 2011 NO. 36 SEPTEMBER 8, 2011
Making Science Fun
Increasing the general public's awareness of sci-tech development is now a top priority
By YUAN YUAN
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WOW!: A pupil marvels at a robot at the National Week of Science and Technology in Bejing on May 14 (WANG XIBAO)

Scientific unawareness

From November 2009 to May 2010, a survey on scientific literacy was conducted by the China Association for Science and Technology. The results suggested only three out of every 100 Chinese citizens possess scientific literacy.

"China has made great progress in some key scientific programs, such as manned space flight and new energy. But there is still a wide gap when it comes to basic knowledge about science and technology," said Ren Fujun, Director of the China Research Institute for Science Popularization.

According to Ren, the popularization of science remains a difficult task given the fact a large educational disparity exists among various groups of people, such as urban and rural residents.

Li Daguang, Director of the Science Communication Center at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, attributes the gap to a lack of science courses in school and limited means of accessing a rigorous science-based education.

"People receive scientific information from TV, films, the Internet, newspapers, magazines and books. The level of scientific literacy therefore greatly depends on science-related information from the media, while the number of such programs actually in the media is quite limited," Li said.

The Chinese Government has made promoting scientific literacy one of its main tasks. The goal is to have 5 percent of the population attaining a basic understanding of science and technology by the end of 2015. According to a government plan, more science education centers and science and technology museums will be built to ensure that every city with a population of 1 million or more has at least one such museum.

According to the China Association for Science and Technology, as of February 2011, China had a total of 273 science and technology museums. However, the majority of these museums, in terms of their number, size, and facilities, are far below international standards.

Cheng Zhongyan, Editor in Chief of Science Pictorial, China's oldest periodical promoting sci-tech knowledge, has his own explanation for the public's disinterest in science and technology.

"In the late 1970s and the 1980s, the government supported and assisted scientific research and development that boosted the public scientific literacy. There was a strong social interest in accruing scientific knowledge," Cheng said.

In the 1980s, the circulation of Science Pictorial, which was first published in 1933, reached its peak, with around 1.4 million copies being distributed every month. It became a "must-read" for those studying science and was part of the lives of many Chinese. But since the 1990s, the magazine's sales have decreased sharply to under 60,000. In many newsstands in big cities, it is no longer even on display.

Cheng said a major reason for this is many people now read books for specific purposes. "For instance, many parents only encourage their children to read textbooks and reference materials, because these books help them get higher scores in exams. This situation greatly influences the market for science books," Cheng said.

"Besides, many scientists and scholars do not know how to make science popular and understandable with easy words. Chinese academics often tend to have the ridiculous opinion the more difficult an article is to understand, the more academically valuable it is. Even adults cannot understand their works, not to mention children."

The focus on narrow educational outcomes like tests and the poor quality of science writing has had an adverse impact on the dissemination of scientific knowledge in China. But with a new generation of dedicated science writers and the advent of the Internet, tablet computers and e-readers, China still has every chance of realizing the scientific literacy goals outlined in the government's plan.

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