Mathematica Adopted as Exclusive Curriculum Tool in High Schools in Gujarat, India

February 10, 2004--The State Government of Gujarat under its Classroom Project for High Schools has introduced Mathematica into the math and science curriculum for the 12th standard. Gujarat, one of the largest and most prosperous states in India, recently passed a resolution making Mathematica a regular part of the syllabus. Mathematica will initially be adopted in three hundred schools within the state. Over the next five years, the program will gradually be extended to about two thousand schools, eventually including all high schools in Gujarat.

Gujarat education officials were looking for comprehensive mathematical tools that would facilitate both computational and visual exercises and would more actively involve high school students in their own learning process. The objective is to ensure that technology is both used to initiate the learning process and designed so that students not only learn at the machine but also spend more time talking to one another while working on real-life projects.

Mathematica and other competing products were all thoroughly evaluated. After exhaustive discussions, technical presentations, and workshops were conducted for the faculty, syllabus authors, and technical committee members, the governing bodies were convinced that Mathematica was the best choice for their needs because it offered the most power and versatility. Anu Sandhu, International Business Development associate at Wolfram Research, worked closely with Sierra Atlantic Software Services, the exclusive Mathematica dealer in India, to negotiate the arrangements.

To facilitate the implementation of the new resolution, Gujarat's education board enlisted the aid of local teachers with Mathematica expertise to publish a computer science textbook in accordance with the syllabus. Entitled Introduction to Computer Science (Science Stream) of Standard XII, this textbook explains how to use Mathematica and provides examples of useful constructs and functions as well as illustrative problem sets and solutions.

Sierra Atlantic Software Services believes that with such carefully established measures, students will have a positive experience working with Mathematica, thus making them more successful and Mathematica more popular among schools across the country.