Jan 05 2015 : The Times of India (Delhi)
Sense On Science
PM's call to put science and research at forefront welcome, now government must act on it
Speaking at the Indian Science Congress, Prime Minister Narendra S Modi hit all the right buttons by declaring that he will pay as much attention to ease of doing research and development in India as to ease of doing business, that China's emergence as the world's second biggest economy paralleled its rise to second place in science and technology and that India needs to focus on science and innovation as a top priority . At a time when he is also putting research-led initiatives at the centre of his foreign policy, the PM's call for greater flexibility in science funding and freeing the university system from excessive regulation and cumbersome procedures is welcome. Now his government must act on it.Unfortunately India's education sector remains an exemplar of exactly the reverse maxim of what Modi wishes to promote: maximum government, minimum governance. India's overly regulated education sector means that not one Indian university is currently ranked among the world's top 200. India is also the only Brics country with no representation among the top 100 global universities.
With only 0.88% of Indian GDP going to research and development investments, India also spends much less on science and technology than US (2.74%), South Korea (4.04%) or China (about 2%). With government aiming to increase R&D ex penditure to 2% in the current Plan period (2012-17), India needs a drastic overhaul of how it manages higher education.
Instead of focussing on greater autonomy and flexibility to universities, the HRD ministry has so far aimed for even greater centralisation. Delhi University was forced to scrap its experiment with four-year undergraduate degrees, Kendriya Vidyalaya students were put in an impossible situation with the row over German and Sanskrit, IIT Delhi's director resigned reportedly over an educational tie-up with Mauritius and a draft Bill has been circulated proposing greater uniformity in governance structures at central universities.
Universities need functional and financial autonomy for achieving excellence, not greater control from Delhi. We have seen great innovations in several Indian sectors after the state withdrew stifling controls.The time has come for government to get out of the way in higher education too. Government must provide only a broad framework, an enabling environment for innovation as it opens up the sector. The rest should be left to competition and a transparent performancebased system of funding without fear or favour.
With only 0.88% of Indian GDP going to research and development investments, India also spends much less on science and technology than US (2.74%), South Korea (4.04%) or China (about 2%). With government aiming to increase R&D ex penditure to 2% in the current Plan period (2012-17), India needs a drastic overhaul of how it manages higher education.
Instead of focussing on greater autonomy and flexibility to universities, the HRD ministry has so far aimed for even greater centralisation. Delhi University was forced to scrap its experiment with four-year undergraduate degrees, Kendriya Vidyalaya students were put in an impossible situation with the row over German and Sanskrit, IIT Delhi's director resigned reportedly over an educational tie-up with Mauritius and a draft Bill has been circulated proposing greater uniformity in governance structures at central universities.
Universities need functional and financial autonomy for achieving excellence, not greater control from Delhi. We have seen great innovations in several Indian sectors after the state withdrew stifling controls.The time has come for government to get out of the way in higher education too. Government must provide only a broad framework, an enabling environment for innovation as it opens up the sector. The rest should be left to competition and a transparent performancebased system of funding without fear or favour.
