‘To improve varsities, fund more research’
When Neil Armstrong said ‘Research is creating new knowledge’, he probably did not envisage the significance that research had, for a better education system.
Today, research and hence creating new knowledge, is not only a huge part of the education process in universities, but also plays a big role in determining their credentials. Scholars who then create this new knowledge are an asset to every educational institution. As we move beyond everyday pedagogy and the process of rote learning and teaching, research starts playing a greater role in expansion of existing knowledge, and even adding new dimensions to it. Research has to be in the DNA of a university.
Unfortunately, today most educational institutions are becoming focused on just imparting existing knowledge without looking at the larger picture. Even though they may have excellent faculty and outstanding students, in the academic circles, the status of a university is still adjudged by the research it undertakes, the papers its scholars publish. It goes without saying that in order to maintain a commendable ranking in global indices, every university needs to have a credible body of research work.
How do universities, with already structured pedagogy, make time, effort and funds to nurture this part of their existence? The base requirement will of course be an environment that encourages research, creating knowledge and the questioning mind. Since the most often measured output that decides the ranking of a university is its publications - their quantity as well as quality; creating this environment is very essential.
Across the world, some of the top ranking universities derive their stature from the quality of their research and publications. Globally, Oxford University takes the pole position at 99.5% ranking in research, while in Asia, the top ranked university in terms of research (according to a recent ranking survey 2018),
Tsinghua University in China stands at 30th ranking worldwide in this list (and 7th ranking in terms of research at 93.2 percentile). National University Singapore which has the 22nd rank worldwide, is lower down in terms of research. These rankings are on the basis of 30% weightage to education standards and 30% weightage to research (volume, income as well as reputation), clearly highlighting the significance of research capabilities WHERE DOES INDIA STAND? Indian universities today are in no position to compete at the global levels, and that is largely because, research is not ‘made’ our forte! Why do we have this difference? There is no lack of intellect or opportunity but lack of understanding that merely imparting education and granting degrees is no longer enough. What has worked till now, will clearly not work anymore, as world facts show us. The underlying reason is, in India, research is seen as a cost while the western system sees research as an investment. In western universities, there are grants for scholars and faculty for research- they can devote undivided attention to building more knowledge, create researches and get published in journals that matter! In Indian system, scholars and faculty are overburdened with daily lectures and timelines that stunt any ideas of forward research. They deliver 10 months of lectures, working more than 20 hours of teaching every week, and so they cannot be expected to devote time to research, create papers and publish them. If the University leadership was to reduce their daily workload, the cost of hiring new faculty is not built into the grants for research, either. This lack of financial support is disincentive for better research, is a malady our universities suffer from, and needs to be changed both at university as well as government support level. There need to be research scholarship and grants that take care of funds or equipment, consumable costs as well as additional manpower if needed.
Most top ranking international universities can boast of five or six publications per faculty every year. If India followed these systems, we would be publishing five thousand plus papers ever year. Instead, our faculty can produce about one paper, and even IITs can come up with only 3-4 papers every year. Funding agencies should not make distinctions between public and private institutions while deciding research grants. Credibility of principal investigator and strength of the research proposal should be the only criteria influencing decisions. INDUCING CHANGE Show them the big picture! Indian faculty in foreign universities for their doctorates or postdoctorates, contribute tremendously to the institution, because they find a productive and supportive environment. They can focus on their research without being bogged down by administrative paperwork etc.
If we give that kind of supportive environment at home, there is no reason why these talented academics cannot deliver the same kind of work in India as well.
Source | Hindustan Times | 12th December 2018
Regards
Mr. Pralhad Jadhav
Master of Library & Information Science (NET Qualified)
Research Scholar
Senior Manager – Library
Khaitan & Co
Twitter Handle | @Pralhad161978
Mobile | 9665911593
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