The article, “The ethics of excellence” (January 2), shows how a major issue coming in the way of quality academic research in India is the attitudinal approach to teaching and research. As the writer mentions, citing a Stanford University advertisement, research and teaching both need “strong commitment” from teachers. In India, there is an unmanageable balance where teaching takes up most of a lecturer’s time due to most students being average, the adverse teacher-student ratio, an indifferent appraisal system where research attempts get little credit, lack of competitive compensation, and a lack of recognition for research socially. It is a fact that wherever there is an environment that is research friendly, as in the premier institutes such as the Indian Institutes of Technology, research flourishes. Unless such bottlenecks are overcome, it will be difficult to achieve an “ethical commitment to excellence”.
Y.G Chouksey,
Pune
