  We present the results of a nation-wide baseline survey, conducted by us, for
the status of Astronomy education among secondary school students in India. The
survey was administered in 10 different languages to over 2000 students from
diverse backgrounds, and it explored multiple facets of their perspectives on
astronomy. The topics included students' views on the incorporation of
astronomy in curricula, their grasp of fundamental astronomical concepts,
access to educational resources, cultural connections to astronomy, and their
levels of interest and aspirations in the subject. We find notable deficiencies
in students' knowledge of basic astronomical principles, with only a minority
demonstrating proficiency in key areas such as celestial sizes, distances, and
lunar phases. Furthermore, access to resources such as telescopes and
planetariums remain limited across the country. Despite these challenges, a
significant majority of students expressed a keen interest in astronomy. We
further analyze the data along socioeconomic and gender lines. Particularly
striking were the socioeconomic disparities, with students from resource-poor
backgrounds often having lower levels of access and proficiency. Some
differences were observed between genders, although not very pronounced. The
insights gleaned from this study hold valuable implications for the development
of a more robust astronomy curriculum and the design of effective teacher
training programs in the future.
