So, the government has finally come to the conclusion that research in India is going through a poor phase. Well spotted, I must say! And what does the government do? An announcement: Breaking News - "14 National Universities to promote research shall be funded INR 200 crore/annum for research activities. This will also result in NRIs researching in foreign universities coming back to India for world class research." But, wait a minute...turn the clock some 50 years back...An announcement: "The IITs will be the temples of modern India. They will provide world class education and will catapult India to the forefront of research in the field of science and technology."
The government had noble intentions then, the government has noble intentions now. But, i'm afraid, these National Universities (if at all they are separate establishments) will fall in the same lane as the IITs. Why did the government not muse over the failure of IITs in research? Why is it that the IITs, so widely acclaimed, never delivered the quality of research expected of them? Was it lack of funds? I beg to disagree.
The government had noble intentions then, the government has noble intentions now. But, i'm afraid, these National Universities (if at all they are separate establishments) will fall in the same lane as the IITs. Why did the government not muse over the failure of IITs in research? Why is it that the IITs, so widely acclaimed, never delivered the quality of research expected of them? Was it lack of funds? I beg to disagree.
The quality of research in any institute depends as much on the students as it does on the faculty. Don't get me wrong, I do not mean to take away any credit from those who made it to the IITs cracking what is touted to be the world's toughest engineering entrance test. In fact, this is the point I want to make. All you need to make it to an IIT (or for that matter any other school in India) is crack a test. What this fundamentally means is that the best schools in India are taking in people who are brilliantly articulate but, may not be great at application. To put it simply, solving a complex electric circuit problem doesn't imply you know how to fabricate the circuit. Research is not just an idea and mathematics to supplement the idea. No research can succeed without successful experimentation and real-life modelling. Successful experimentation requires dexterity with the hand and not just the mind.
If the government really wants research to flourish in India, it should make sure that the induction procedures in Indian Universities is radically changed. Here's a suggestion: Defer the establishment of the National Universities by a couple of years. De-route some of the funds set aside for these universities and commit them to a research on how can the IITs be more effective in research. The research may throw unexpected results. May be, we won't need separate establishments; may be, the IITs can finally live up to what is (also) expected of them.
If the government really wants research to flourish in India, it should make sure that the induction procedures in Indian Universities is radically changed. Here's a suggestion: Defer the establishment of the National Universities by a couple of years. De-route some of the funds set aside for these universities and commit them to a research on how can the IITs be more effective in research. The research may throw unexpected results. May be, we won't need separate establishments; may be, the IITs can finally live up to what is (also) expected of them.
Hmm well funded dedicated research institutes might help to some extent... say like TIFR
ReplyDelete@Visa: Undoubtedly, funds are critical to research...however, we need more than just funds...TIFR, though a premier research institute in India, doesn't stand anywhere in the league of international universities...
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