I REFER to the article, "Why S'pore needs more people to study physics", (Sept 19).

One of the reasons cited in the article for the declining interest in the subject was that many physics teachers were engineering graduates.

I am an engineering graduate teaching physics in a secondary school right now. In the teaching profession, this situation is not unique to physics. Teachers of mathematics, English and even the other sciences may not be graduates in these subjects either.

In my opinion, the declining interest in physics lies in the fact that outside of complicated electronic inventions, students cannot appreciate the subtle existence of physics concepts at play in human thoughts and actions.

Given the emphasis on formulas and symbols, students are naturally at a loss for words when asked to describe the essence of physics principles, hence leading to the lack of interest in the subject. It is more important for physics teachers to bring out the conceptual meaning of physics and highlight its relevance to daily life, rather than to get students to go for content upgrading courses.

Wu Guanglong

This article was first published in The Straits Times.