In this issue of the Learning Curve, practising scientists, professors, school teachers and innovators ruminate on the methods and merits of science education. A range of topics from ​‘why teach science’ to ​‘how to make science fun for children’ to ​‘how to encourage children to take up higher education in science’ and ​‘how critical it is that we have a strong stream of scientists emerging from our education system’ are addressed in this issue.

In this issue of the Learning Curve, read about how the Educational Development Index is calculated and what constitutes an effective education system. Krishna Kumar’s book ​‘The Political Agenda of Education’, a comprehensive account of the goals of the Indian Education system under British rule and its ramifications for independent India, is also reviewed.

In this issue of the Learning Curve, the pros and cons of the voucher system are discussed and the value of arts in the school curriculum is elaborated upon. The book ​‘Escape from Childhood’, in which author John Holt advocates for a broader definition of childhood, inclusive of political and economic rights for children, is also reviewed.

In this issue of the Learning Curve, the importance of community participation in education is explored and we read about Bindooben, a highly remarkable teacher in Gujarat. Paulo Freire’s ​‘Pedagogy of the Oppressed’, in which the author delineates the incredible potency of education as a tool for liberation (genuine revolution of the people) and its capacity to dominate people, is reviewed.

In this issue of the Learning Curve, we explore the various obstacles standing in the way of equity in the Indian Education system. Factors responsible for low access to schooling of disadvantaged groups like the Scheduled castes and the minorities are discussed.

In this issue of the Learning Curve, Jean Dreze talks about the beneficial aspects of the Mid-day Meal Scheme and the Spastics Society of Karnataka elaborates on the accommodations and modifications required to integrate children with special needs into mainstream schools.

In this issue of the Learning Curve, updates of the Foundation’s programs and research studies are detailed in some length. An article on School Development Planning explores the benefits of training head teachers in devising plans for their schools.

In this issue of the Learning Curve, the tricky exercise of measuring learning is addressed by experts in the field and the much neglected area of Mathematics Education Research is discussed for its utility in diagnosing the difficulties students face in assimilating Mathematics.

In this issue of the Learning Curve, teacher absence in India, one of the Education system’s most insistent problems, is discussed and observations from Chinese Mathematics Classrooms are documented for their potential to serve as lessons for India.

In this issue of the Learning Curve, the utility of researches in the development sector is discussed along with the outcomes of two such research studies, namely, ​‘Factors differentiating the successful schools from others in the Learning Guarantee Program’ and ​‘Impact of Computer Aided Learning on Learning Achievements’.