Science goes for a six

The US state f Kansas decides to remove the theory of evolution from school currilum

 
Published: Thursday 30 September 1999

school children in Kansas in the us, will be taught evolution as written in the Bible and not according to the theory propounded by Charles Darwin. The war of words, between supporters of science-based and faith-based education, ended when the Kansas school board voted against the teaching of Darwin's theory in schools.

More than half of the 10-member school board argued that Darwin's theory is still unproven. They are campaigning to exclude all mention of evolution -- including natural selection and the origins of the universe -- from the school curriculum. But, this move has met with stiff opposition from all the six universities in Kansas who have written to the board that their proposed move will "set Kansas back by a century".

However, the anti-evolution movement has gained ground over the years. States like Arizona, Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, New Mexico, Texas, Nebraska and Kansas have been trying to minimise the teaching of evolution. A recent poll published in The Washington Post revealed that 44 per cent of Americans believe that "God created man pretty much in his present form at one time within the past 10,000 years." Religious leaders say that Darwin's theory, contradicts the Bible and was founded on inadequate and speculative science.

However, others believe that this move may jeopardise a child's proper understanding of science. "This is the most explicit censorship of evolution I have even seen," said Molleen Matsumura, a spokesperson for the National Centre for Science Education.

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