Having observed higher education and research in India and worldwide for the past over four decades initially as a student and later as a research scholar, young faculty, researcher, senior faculty, and academic administrator, needless to mention my involvement in assessing and accrediting institutions through the National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC) and participating in NIRF and adjudged one of the top 10 Colleges in India, and also having served on the Boards of institutions of global acclaim, it is my bounden duty as a responsible citizen of this country to express my concerns over the same.
This article has been written not just to lament and groan over the past but to take stock of the situation and consider areas of importance that need attention from all stakeholders, particularly the policymakers, so that we can see tangible outcomes that would place Indian Higher Education and research in a laudable pedestal in the days ahead.
Emphasis on the basics and soft skills
When we were students of UG, PG and research programmes during the late 1970s and 1980s a lot of emphasis was made on the basics of our major and ancillary programmes. We need to thank our teachers who taught these subjects as they did them with much preparation and seriousness and, as a result, whether it was theory or practicals, it was ensured that we were provided a sound understanding of the topics on hand, and we were assessed stringently by our teachers who were just not mere mentors but taskmasters, undoubtedly.
As a result, when we became independent researchers and later administrators, we would adopt the good lessons learnt and thus could emerge successfully with ease and values. Likewise, areas on soft skills were practiced in an informal manner unlike these days, which gave us a good stead in all that we undertook, to name a few, strong communication both in oration and writing including computer skills. This also included aspects such as etiquette in interactions and in formal meetings and discussions.
In today’s scenario, as we look at the trends in many institutions, we find placement drives being largely unsuccessful. Major complaints registered by recruiters include students lacking fundamentals in their subjects, pathetic soft skills, and inadequate interview etiquettes. A revival of the old practices can help find a remedy to handle these problems.
Research papers, patents and projects
Those days there was no payment for a research paper to be published in a scientific journal except to be a Member of that Research Society/Association, if needed. Paper published was of quality and one had to wait for nearly a year to get it published.
Today, we find a trend where authors pay for their publications and that calls into question the quality of the papers published in journals. Payment makes paper quality diluted which demerits publication.
In the present time, while we must appreciate the availability of SCI, WoS, QI, II indexed Journals and online Journals, it is to be noted that many of the organizations levy charges for the inclusion of the papers. Likewise, there is greater stress on patents, startups and so on, which requires the researcher to reach up to the patent granting level to win incentives from the management. As a result, useful products from those granted patents are rarely there. In many cases, the patents stop at submission/filing level or review/examination or maximum granted level.
We need to focus on how we shall come up with useful products and inventions which are relevant and which are produced by scientists from certain countries. In such a dubious race for papers and patents within the shortest time as demanded by ranking and rating agencies, quality and purposeful outcomes in the research journey are sacrificed.
New trends in S&T — AI, DS, ML, semiconductors
Attempts are being made to introduce the above novel areas in the curricula which fetches high income for offering institutions through fees (as high as ₹70 lakh for a B Tech programme). But knowledge creation and equipping faculty, upgrading, or developing a new computer laboratory are areas that need to be addressed immediately before the commencement of these programmes. Faculty in particular have to be given proper orientation through FDPs and exposure to industries and corporate sectors so that they are able to offer meaningful training/internship/apprenticeship in these areas to students.
Ranking and rating
At the beginning of this century, the rating of higher educational institutions was introduced through the establishment of the NAAC. This institution underwent revisions over time in terms of assessment procedures and pedagogy to be followed. Unfortunately, this office came under criticism owing to alleged corruption by some of the officials.
Similarly, the ranking of HEI in India also went through transitions. Several questions have been raised in regard to its functionality and determination of ranking of institutions. Under this cloud has come the NEP 2020, which encompasses notable features. Institutions are adopting relevant aspects of the policy though one cannot ignore the debate and confusions prevailing in certain areas of this policy document.
Lack of congenial environment in HEIs
On the pretext of massification of higher education, permission has been granted to many self-financing institutions to offer UG to Research programmes. While a handful of these institutions are doing well, we can convincingly state that “all is not well” in the newly mushroomed institutions.
We find some of the top administrators of these institutions lacking clarity on higher education and, as a result, they expect unreasonable outcomes from the next level of leadership. Researchers are ill-treated if such expectations are not met with. Wounded members remain silent spectators to these onslaughts as they do their mundane work with discontent and hatred just to earn their monthly salaries.
There is a need for the faculty to be encouraged aptly to take up good teaching and research and to support them whenever possible and not to use the term “return on investment” when some seed money is provided or some equipment is procured by the management. The terminology used in trade and commerce cannot be applied in the education and research sectors.
Why we need to go back to the roots
The old saying, “Go back to the roots”, is very apt during the present time as we face the malady stated above, and stress on the institutions and faculty to provide a sound foundation to the students. Training in soft skills must be imparted to students for which the English and Computer Science faculty can be leveraged.
Teachers should feel welcome to turn to work on a daily basis for which the management should create a congenial atmosphere. Further, the teachers should be provided appropriate vacations as enshrined in the State/Central policy. It should not be thought that vacation is a “paid leave” to the faculty.
Instead vacations should be understood by the management and administrators that it is a time for the faculty to recoup and refresh with ideas and strength to continue their new academic journey. The faculty could be exposed to some administrative work during their time off but not total cancellation of their vacation.
Meaningful engagements with competent HR personnel need to be planned by the management during the academic year to create collegiality and belongingness to the institution. Both fundamental and applied research are to be encouraged and not just the latter alone.
Fusion of research from diverse disciplines is to be fostered for meaningful outcomes. Also, we need to explore indigenous science and technology as these areas are ecologically safe and sustainable on a long-term basis.
A humane approach by those concerned will go a long way in shaping and addressing the many concerns in Indian Higher Education. These attempts would enable us to produce intellectually sound, employable, morally upright young men and women who would go out into the wider arena of this world with industry, courage, and determination.
(R. W. Alexander Jesudasan, DSc, PhD, is former Principal & Secretary, Madras Christian College, Chennai. He has served as Pro Vice-Chancellor of Hindustan Institute of Technology & Science, Chennai.)