The article, “The ethics of excellence” (January 2), raises a lot of questions about goings-on in the academic world. Zest, hard work and academic orientation are the basic prerequisites for research activity but are seldom seen in our educational institutions. Unfortunately, even the basic habit of reading is lacking in many facilitators. Most of the paper presentations at seminars are not backed by any in-depth study. It is pathetic to see most learners being satisfied with scoring marks and getting lucrative jobs. There is a dire need to address this issue and also shed light on the avenues available in the field of research in India and abroad.
M.S. Ravishankar,
Bengaluru
Another cause for the dismal situation in academic research is because job opportunities, especially after completing research work such as a PhD, are dim. Moreover, undergraduate students in some institutions, especially the premier ones, get well-paying jobs just after graduation. There is also hardly any incentive for an undergraduate student to study further due to low stipends, for example. It is factors such as these that need to be looked into if we are to make full use of our potential in research.
Deepak Prasad
Chaibasa, Jharkhand
