Hi .. frnds.. This blog is related to
educational Research or Teaching. I have observed many times we did not
have quality structure for Teaching and Research. In my Previous blog, You can
see how our educational system works. My main focus is on Teaching and Research
because it will create a bridge between knowledge and Inventsions. Given the fact that rankings by MHRD’s NIRF (National
Institutional ranking framework) and other international accreditation agencies
such as AACSB (Association to advance collegiate schools of business), AMBA
(Association of MBAs) and EQUIS (EFMD quality improvement system ) emphasise on
research , the focus of Indian education institutes is also shifting 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, everyone has joined the bandwagon to be a research institute. But are
they really worthy??
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 specialized 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. Our mind set like getting high package or good job this
is all about Indian mentality. We don’t want to fight. One of my best friend who
has background in Physics and pursuing his PH.D from USA, sometimes feels that
what is the future he can get after this?? This is the main reason people don’t
want to do research, they want future security and money obviously.
Now most
Indian institutes have started focusing 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. But the scene has changed as the young professors now are engaged
in research while the older professors are involved in academic administration.
Many
institutions are developing a research culture by introducing monetary
incentives. They are faced with the question of whether or not to use taxpayer’s
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 .
In the
absence of a strong team of professors, several institutions are forced to
depend on visiting professors/guest lecturers. 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.
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 incentivized to promote and create a support system for the
industry which , in turn , will give rise to innovation , patenting ,
production and prosperity institutions need to develop a new approach to
sustain both teaching and research. A good teacher can set the example when he
has complete knowledge of the topic/subject. By Researching as well as teaching he can
conquer the world. Both are related to each other but the point is how can we
understand the things.
Thanx..
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