Modi calls on science and tech council, HRD ministry to devise plan for better research in state universities, where 95% students go.
Jalandhar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday emphasised the need to improve the quality of research in state universities where, he said, 95 per cent of the country’s students go.
Speaking at the inaugural session of the 106th Indian Science Congress at the Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Jalandhar, Modi spoke about the importance of institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, in improving the quality of research but added that state universities needed more push.
“Our strength and backbone of research are institutes such as the IITs and IISc but 95 per cent of students in India still go to state universities where research is very limited,” the Prime Minister said.
“I call upon the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council to discuss this issue in detail and devise a plan to improve the situation in these universities and colleges along with the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry,” he added.
‘Jai Anusandhan’ in 2019
As per the HRD Ministry data, just about three per cent of the students attend institutions such as the IITs and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). The remaining 97 per cent attend the other 865 higher education institutions. Of the 97 per cent, the percentage of those attending state universities is 95 per cent.
The Prime Minister also dedicated 2019 to scientific research and innovation, adding the phrase ‘Jai Anusandhan (research)’ to the popular slogan ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’.
“Missile man A.P.J. Abdul Kalam had added ‘Jai Vigyan’ to ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ during Pokhran (nuclear tests in 1998). I take this opportunity to add ‘Jai Anusandhan (Research)’ to the motto to dedicate this year to research and innovation in the country,” Modi said.
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Praise for scientific research ranking
The Prime Minister also acknowledged the fact that India is at number five in terms of scientific research in the world. “According to Scopus data, India is at number five in the world in terms of scientific research. It is no mean feat,” he said.
The PM further appealed to the scientific community to conduct research that can help people at the ground level.
Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, Prof. K. VijayRaghavan, had also hailed the scientific community on Twitter two days ago for its work in 2018.
7/n You have been doers. From, nanoscience to gravitational waves, from public health and pollution, waste to energy, transportation, and climate change. From chemical ecology in the NE to agriculture, amazing science is being done by you.
— Principal Scientific Adviser, Govt. of India (@PrinSciAdvGoI) January 1, 2019
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One facet of the solution to the problem of State Universities is to recruit talented and qualified teachers from across India and abroad. Our state Universities have become too parochial and bastions of localism. With talented and well regarded faculty, curriculum can also be modernised. Finally, some way of measuring the outcomes of the State University systems should be established.