Puducherry: President Pratibha Devisingh Patil has expressed her concerns over the problem of majority of students not opting for science subjects after their senior secondary education.

She said that steps should be taken immediately to overcome this problem and interactive methods of teaching should be used to sustain children's interest in the field.

Mrs. Patil was speaking at the inaugural function of the 34th Jawaharlal Nehru National Science Exhibition for Children here on Friday.

A recent study has revealed that the number of students opting for science after secondary school stage has dropped from 32 percent in the early 1950s to 19.7 percent in recent years. In the 1950s, the "brightest" students took up science but today's 19.7 percent was from "lower-middle" level, she said.

This figure shows that young students, particularly the brightest of the lot, are "drifting away from science". The choice of National Talent Search awardees also reflected this trend.

Of the 750 winners, hardly 100 opted for science and only 15 to 20 percent pursued science till the post-graduation level.

The President uncovered a logo of the exhibition titled as "science and technology for sustainable development". She said it is the duty of teachers to encourage students for opting science instead of calling it a tough subject.

The President was highly motivated by visiting some of the stalls put up by children at the exhibition. She congratulated children for their innovative ideas and deep love for Science.