We are living in the age of science and technology. The wars, among the nations, are fighting in the educational institutions instead of fields and deserts. Pakistan is a developing country of South Asia. Only an alternative development in the field of science and technology required, on which social development can begin the era of economical Improvement. This advancement necessitates revolutionary improvement in the field of science education at all levels. Science education is very important to overcome the issues and problems of modern age. Challenges and requirements are growing complex and critical swiftly. These are not easy to understand. Their solution demands a wide conceptual knowledge. In Pakistan, a large number of students after elementary education or during secondary education drop out from schools and remaining students, having successful certificates, divagate or dissipate their talent and productive or creative efficiency due to vague and unclear concepts.
Reservoirs and resources are running down rapidly. According to their demand, there is so much need of their alternatives means of energy to search. Problems such as growing pollution, spreading diseases and searching their cures, to give up traditional tools, learning the usage of advanced machines, to fulfill the nutritional requirements according to the growth rate of population, to find the comfortable and wishing life styles and to understand the scientific phenomena, there is deep thirst to improve the scientific literacy rate. A country that has advanced in the field of science and technology is more developed than the one that has a pitiable science base (Goodrum & Rennie, 2007).
Science education plays an important role in the development of every single entity of community as well as whole population of a state or region. It promotes life styles of every person socially and economically belonging to a country. It provides solutions of social and environmental problems and issue, industrial progress and plays co-operative role in enhancing and advancing individuals’ living standards. Science has gained compulsory position, as a fundamental and basic subject in the institutions all around the world. In present time, every industry and department looking towards the science for his requirements and future demands in every discipline (Mohanty,2004).
Science education is a mean to address global necessities, therefore it is important to enlarge its understanding, recognize issues related to its expansion and attempt to find solutions for advancing science education at the foundation levels (Bybee, 1997).
The advancement and downfall of a society can be ascribed to the progress and fall of science correspondingly. A country or a state or a region that has progressed in the domain of science and technology is greater developed than the one that has a miserable science base (Faize & Dahar, 2011).
This thinking has led to widening viewpoints among many professionals and policy developers in investing Science teaching and education in many countries, thus in present times education in science begins at primary levels and Pakistan is no exemption. From classes first through eighth, it is offered as a compulsory subject called general science, whereas at secondary level (ninth and tenth classes) science is partitioned into general and natural sciences, offered as elective courses. The estimated school time assigned to these sciences is 25-30% of the total school time, which is not enough. At these class levels general science is a combination of biology, chemistry and physics and includes topics on life, animals, matter, forces, earth and the universe ( Aly, 2007).
Like many other countries, Pakistan also faces issues with science education comprising low provision of resources, unavailability of satisfactory number of science teachers, labs and equipment, out-of-date syllabus and insufficient grading systems of the science courses (Memon, 2007).
Students’ enrolment is declining in science subjects throughout the world. The science course content in Pakistan is completely filled with accurate data; the science teachers are not properly trained in educating science; the foremost procedure for lesson delivery is the chalk and talk strategy; lab work is missing; the course material is outdated and mental retention of text content is the commonly considered equivalent to getting science education (Malik, 2007).
These circumstances may convey diminution in enthusiasm for the science subjects. Developing countries are facing a risk that it would be impossible for him to supply researchers and particularly instructors to new generations for science learning and teaching process (Rowlands, 2008).