This PPT prepared by Teacher Educator from Thiagarajar College of Preceptors Madurai for B.Ed Trainees.

1. SCHOOL SUBJECTS AND
SOCIAL JUSTICE
MRS.R.KOHILA DEVI
ASST. PROF. IN EDUCATION
THIAGARAJAR COLLEGE OF PRECEPTORS
MADURAI -9

2. INTRODUCTION :
• Science reflects an objective and indisputable
knowledge without the implication of any
sociopolitical values.
• Science could be argued that the success or
failure of students in learning science would
depend entirely on their mental abilities regardless
of the features of the science curriculum
which are related to the social and cultural mind of
children.

3. Social justice:
 Social justice refers to the equitable
distribution of wealth,opportunities progress,
rights and priviledges to all sections of society
without any discrimination.
 All should be provided with equal
opportunities to progress,rights to get political
power, distribution of wealth,special priviledges
.

4. Indicators of social justice :
• Untouchability
• Denial of equal and
opportunities for women
• racism
• Linguistic tanaticism
• Castetism and caste distribution
• Religious leaders opposing social
changes

5. Four pillars on which a science curriculum should be elevated, in
order to guarantee children’s equal absorption of the public and
social wealth offered by science education.
i) The first pillar is about providing students with an adequate
and coherent science content which takes into account the
broader context of democratic and humanitarian purposes of
education and is fully linked to their daily life.

6.  The second pillar supports teaching the Nature of
Science (NOS).
 Science curriculum should highlight the social
construction of scientific knowledge as science is a
social outcome of the continuing changes of our society
and so knowledge can change over time in the light of
new evidence.
 In light of this, students should regard themselves
not only as consumers of scientific knowledge, but also
as generators of knowledge in order to bring structural
changes towards a democratic and humanist society
based on their socio-cultural background.

7. iii) The third pillar sustains the teaching of scientific
methodology through which students will be able not
only to
follow given instructions to
 solve science problems, but collect and
evaluate information or data,
 develop scientific attitude and respond critically
to familiar or unfamiliar situations in their everyday
life as well.

8. iv) The fourth pillar maintains the engagement of
students in sociopolitical action.
• The science curriculum should include
characteristics that guarantee the acquisition of
scientific knowledge and competencies by all children
in order that they be able to make informed decisions
about socio-scientific issues.
• The science curriculum should ensure
opportunities to all students to intervene in the
structure of society by assuring that social rights such
as the equal absorption of the public and social
wealth, collective activism and democratic and
humanist structure of society will be accessed by all
students and not tuned to the needs of the dominant
social or economic groups.

9. Social justice through school subjects:
Language:
 All great poems and saints have stressed the
need for humane attitudes and brotherhood.Saints
have strssed the equality of all men in the eyes of
god.
There were great poets in tamil from avvaiyar to
bharathi who denounced caste and gender
discrimination.

10.  All sacred books have condemned hated
and violence but extrolled the virtues of truth
,non violence,peace and love..

11. Mathematics:
• “same pay for same work” is not being adapted in
many countries including India.
• Women are paid less for the same job as male .
• Arithmetic exercises in mathematics should
highlight the concept of “same work and same pay ‘’.
• The economic status should be same for men and
women workers in both live and in imagination.

12. Social sciences :
 The struggle for equality is going onfor long time.
 Abraham lincoln fought for the abolishion of slavery.
 Moderndemocratic ideas were born inEngland and its
spreading all over the world.
 Indian republic is firmly against inequality and discrimination of
the people .
 Rajaram mohan roy,Narayana guru, Gandhji have got freedom
for India.

13. Environmental Science :
 Environmental pollution , finding whether the impact of
environmental pollution affects more the rural people or the
urban people, etc., explaining the contributions of the rural
people and rich people about pollution, could be made to find
place in the subject environmental science.
 Awareness should be developed that everyone has the
responsibility for keeping India clean and healthy country.

14. Science:
 People think that science is concerned with objective reality
and not concerned with values or socio-economic problems.
 Presenting large number of scientific concepts and theories do
not constitute science education.
 They should imbibe scientific temper.
 Injustices in the name of tradition and prejudices and bias.
Thus, the social justices are described for the students by
the school subjects by these way.