NEED FOR HIGHER EDUCATION: RESEARCH OR TEACHING?
Educational institutes need to rethink and develop a new approach to sustain both teaching and research, writes educator Shailendra K Rai
Given the fact that rankings by MHRD’s NIRF and other international accreditation agencies such as AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS emphasise on research, the focus of Indian education institutes is also shifting from teaching to research.
Until recently, research was synonymous with basic sciences and technology, but today educational institutions are facing a dilemma – whether to focus on research, teaching, or both. In the race to achieve a good ranking and accreditation, everyone has joined the bandwagon to be a research institute giving little or no importance to teaching.
Four pillars of knowledge in an academic institute include teaching, research, training and consultancy, but in India till date, teaching was the only important criterion. India is home to thousands of colleges, universities, including the IITs, IIMs and other specialised institutes such as IISc, ISI etc; sadly, none of these institutes makes it to the top 200 international university rankings. This highlights the loopholes in our higher education system and points to the lack of focus on research.
> FAKE JOURNALS
In the recent years, thanks to the international rankings, most Indian institutes have started focussing on research. Professors and teachers are now forced to devote time to researching instead of teaching. This is yet another reason that several fake journals have emerged. UGC released a list of fake journals recently, but the trend is still on the rise.
Several teachers are now publishing papers that do not add to the body of knowledge. They publish papers to get promotions, as preference is given to candidates who boast of published books and papers in their CVs. During the interviews, teachers are never questioned on their contribution to help students achieve their academic goals through their research. Earlier, the young professors were expected to only focus on teaching in the first five years, and eventually turn to research and finally to consulting.
But the scene has changed as the young professors now are engaged in research while the older professors are involved in academic administration, not because of their competency but because of seniority.
> MONETARY INCENTIVES
Many institutions are developing a research culture by introducing monetary incentives. They are faced with the question of whether or not to use taxpayers’ money and the fees received from students to fund research activities. The incentive for publishing in an A-category journal is Rs 15 lakh which is almost equal to the starting salary of an assistant professor. Institutions are still trying to find convincing arguments to justify the distribution of funds, to promote research and obtain a good ranking.
> RELYING ON VISITING PROFESSORS
In the absence of a strong team of professors, several institutions are forced to depend on visiting professors/guest lecturers to teach the students. Needless to add that these professors have little interest in the overall development and academic excellence of the students. The over-emphasis on publications has already forced institutions to recruit researchers who publish papers rather than teachers who teach.
> DECORATIVE RESEARCHES
Research work published in top-rated journals in social sciences is mere decoration, which adds no value to either the practitioners or the industry. This is unlike the western countries, where a majority of research is funded by the industry. Thus, most of the Indian researchers spend the resources and time on completing something that is neither innovative nor has any utility.
Applied research can be incentivised to promote and create a support system for the industry which, in turn, will also give rise to innovation, patenting, production and prosperity. Institutions need to rethink and develop a new approach to sustain both teaching and research.
Source | Times of India | 21st May 2018
Regards
Mr. Pralhad Jadhav
Master of Library & Information Science (NET Qualified)
Senior Manager @ Knowledge Repository
Khaitan & Co
Twitter Handle | @Pralhad161978
Mobile @ 9665911593
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