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Indian students love astronomy but lack basic tools and concepts, survey finds
Only about one third of students could correctly identify basic astronomical distance scales, with many unaware that stars lie far beyond objects within the solar system.
While nearly 86 per cent of students said they enjoy astronomy, only 26 per cent had ever used a telescope and just 27 per cent had visited a planetarium, with access particularly limited in resource poor schools. (Express Photo)
A sample survey of secondary school students conducted across ten states has found high enthusiasm for astronomy in Indian classrooms but serious gaps in access to learning resources and understanding of basic concepts, raising concerns about how the subject is taught across schools.
While nearly 86 per cent of students said they enjoy astronomy, only 26 per cent had ever used a telescope and just 27 per cent had visited a planetarium, with access particularly limited in resource poor schools. The survey was conducted by the International Astronomical Union Office of Astronomy for Education India Centre and covered over 2000 students from 34 schools across 10 states. Jointly hosted by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education in Mumbai and the Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics in Pune, it is the first large scale nationwide assessment of astronomy education in India.
The study also revealed weak conceptual understanding. Only about one third of students could correctly identify basic astronomical distance scales, with many unaware that stars lie far beyond objects within the solar system. Understanding of lunar phases was especially poor, with just 7 per cent of respondents able to correctly identify all major phases of the Moon.
Published in the Astronomy Education Journal in 2026, the study is expected to inform education policy, curriculum design, and teacher training initiatives.
Administered in 10 languages across urban, semi urban, and rural regions, the survey examined students’ grasp of basic astronomy concepts, access to educational resources, cultural engagement with astronomy, and interest in pursuing the subject further. According to the IAU OAE, the findings provide critical ground level insights needed to strengthen astronomy education in India.
“These results show both an urgent need and valuable opportunity to strengthen astronomy education,” said Prof Aniket Sule, manager of the IAU OAE India Centre.
Co author Prof Surhud More said the astronomy content in the new NCERT textbooks had already benefitted from insights drawn from the study. Researchers also underscored astronomy’s potential as a “gateway science” capable of sparking wider interest in STEM disciplines.
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