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Promoting science for development

09 Nov 2022

Tomorrow (10) has been declared World Science Day for Peace and Development, which, according to the United Nations (UN), highlights the significant role of science in society, and the need to engage the wider public in debates on emerging scientific issues. It also underlines the importance and relevance of science in daily lives. The UN underscores that by linking science more closely with society, this day aims to ensure that citizens are kept informed of the developments in science.  Sri Lanka sees extremely limited discourse on science in general society. Most of the time, science is seen as a complex, theoretical field, irrelevant to everyday life. The idea of science is largely limited to either a subject taught at school, or a field reserved for scientists and researchers.  One of the reasons that people assume science is a field limited to those with a high level of knowledge or education is the general lack of understanding about science’s role in their day-to-day lives. On the one hand, there is a severe lack of awareness about this matter in society, especially due to the poor conveyance of practical scientific knowledge to the people, and on the other hand, the authorities appear to lack the resources or motivation to build a connection to science among the general public. The result is that people do not have adequate scientific knowledge to question or contribute to national developmental initiatives, and important sectors such as agriculture, environmental conservation, and communication – with the latter having significant effect on the people’s knowledge and attitudes – remains stagnant.  Sri Lanka is going through an era of unprecedented social and economic challenges, and such times call for innovative and entrepreneurial initiatives. Science, in this context, could play an important role in the country’s survival and revival. However, the general public’s knowledge about science’s role in this process is not at a satisfactory level, and therefore needs to be developed. The authorities have a responsibility to make scientific knowledge ordinary knowledge that any person can benefit from, and involve members of the public in scientific decisions that matter, and which have an impact on them. A recent example of the consequences of not doing so is the former Government’s decision to introduce a 100% organic fertiliser policy, which was made without consulting farmers, who possessed the practical knowledge about the outcomes of such a hasty decision. Further, proper communication of scientific knowledge and its real-life benefits – the duty of educators and the media – is crucial. In fact, whether or not people embrace scientific knowledge as useful largely depends on how it is communicated to them. However, none of this would be possible without a proper policy environment for the promotion of scientific knowledge. National policies with regard to scientific findings and knowledge should improve considerably to ensure that the scientific aspects of matters in the country are discussed and explained by the authorities to enlighten the people, and that more funds are allocated to research that is of practical use in the current context. In addition, it is necessary to give proper recognition to local scientists and researchers. For a nation that boasts of ancient technological marvels developed during its rich history, we seem to have become far too content with plodding forward at snail’s pace in the scientific sphere.


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