The Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), in association with the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) have proposed to publish science textbooks that aim at making science gender-fair and interesting.

The National Board for Higher Mathematics (NBHM), which is oriented to the enrichment of higher mathematics, also plans to take up the United Nations announcement of 2000 as the World Mathematics Year. The NBHM will chalk out programmes which will take stock of school education as well. ``The programmes cannot afford to forget schools'', pointed out Dr C S Yogananda, a member of the NBHM's Mathematics Olympiad Cell. This cellwas formed for preparing maths students for the olympiad.

Dr Yogananda also pointed to an interesting trend, that of a drop in the age level of student participating in the olympiad. Among the hopefuls for this year's olympiad is a standard VIII student, Swarnendu Datta from Calcutta. Four girls are also participating this year for the olympiad.

And starting from this year, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has constituted an Integrated National Steering Committee (INSC) for a co-ordinated olympiad programme in physics , chemistry and biology, the national co-ordinator of INSC Dr Arvind Kumar, who is also the HBCSE director, told Express Newsline.

Yet, educationists caution against painting a rosy picture. Olympiad training faculty members mourn the restricted popularity of pure science among the average student and the low numbers who pursue scinece as a higher education option. Worse, girl students barely make it to the final team of 35 odd students or the top six who end up representingthe country abroad. In fact, the teachers' orientation programme for upgradation of teaching skills was being held twice a year; now, since 1996, it is held just once. And textbooks and teaching methodology are rife with gender bias and ignore the increasing forays of women into science.

This is the eleventh time India is sending its students to the International Mathematical Olympiad; the second time for International Physics Olympiad; and the first time for chemistry and biology. The purpose may have been to nurture an abiding interest in pure science among the students, but participants, in the maths and physics teams, for instance, said they wished to pursue computer science and engineering. With the exception of some CBSE students, most participants did not seem to be inspired by their boring science classes that hardly prompt them to think.

The end result of the olympiads seems to be a spurt in the students' contribution to science bulletins! ``There is no innovativeness'', maintained a trainingfaculty member, requesting anonymity. ``On the flip side, at least now you have more students penning science-based articles'', he remarked.