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Science education for tomorrow

Fifty years ago, both houses of Parliament passed a far-sighted science policy resolution that underscored the importance of S & T for a developing country seeking its place in the sun. “The key to national prosperity, apart from the spirit of the people,” the resolution says “lies, in the modern age, in the effective combination of three factors, technology, raw materials and capital, of which the first is perhaps the most important, since the creation and adoption of new scientific techniques can, in fact, make up for a deficiency in natural resources, and reduce the demands on capital. But technology can only grow out of the study of science and its applications.” A great deal has been achieved since that resolution was adopted. India now has a considerable pool of scientific talent and several highly-rated scientific establishments in diverse fields. But those words of wisdom are no less relevant today than they were when the country set out on its path to development. Many countries, recognising that strength in science and technology will in large part determine their international competitiveness in the years to come, are aggressively investing in scientific training and research. India cannot afford to be left behind.

Inaugurating this year’s Indian Science Congress at Shillong, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh highlighted some of the central government’s initiatives for the development of science. They include the creation of 30 new central universities, five new Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research, eight new Indian Institutes of Technology, and 20 new Indian Institutes of Information Technology. But are there really enough scientists and engineers of suitable calibre to staff so many new institutions? If not, there is a real risk that the students who come out of these institutions will not have the capabilities and skills needed to power the knowledge-driven economy of tomorrow. A World Bank study published in 2007 estimated that only 10 to 25 per cent of India’s general college graduates were fit for employment. Moreover, by attracting staff and students, the new institutions may make several state universities and the colleges under them even more inadequate and obsolete than they are. India today has more than 200 state universities, about 100 deemed universities, and more than 11,000 general colleges. Building new institutions without improving existing ones, and indeed at their expense, is a strategy that can generate considerable social tensions. What is needed is a comprehensive programme to gear up India’s higher education sector to meet the challenges of the future.

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