India with a population of about 35 crore during independence in
1947 established five big institutes for science and engineering called Indian
Institute of Technology, renoundly known as IITs and two big institutes for
management called Indian Institute of Management , renoundly known as IIMs
across the country within a decade. The population has increased more than
three times since then and now we have 16 IITs and 13 IIMs. More than 40
percent of people fall below the age group of 20. Indian government schools
doesn’t have good infrastructure; neither India has contributed significantly
in the filed of science research nor its engineering colleges have listed in top
100 ranks in the recent past; and India doesn’t have a bunch of Indian
companies operating world-wide. Definitely,
it’s a big challenge for India to provide quality education for its young
citizens, provide good infrastructure for science research and provide
sophisticated environment for its citizens to take up entrepreneurship. At this
juncture, the new government reportedly is thinking to push funds to establish
IITs and IIMs in every state. How far this move will benefit the nation in the
field of science, engineering and entrepreneurship at present scenario?
Top technical universities like MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, etc..
earned the fame through their sheer hard work. Here in India, we are giving
IITs and IIMs, the brand name before doing anything substantial. Since they
already have the brand name, people inside it don't strive hard to excel. Due
to which the quality deteriorates after sometime. The same is happening now
with our IITs and IIMs. Couple of years back, very few IITs made into top 100
rankings but now they are not.
Why top students join IITs and IIMs? Because they are the famous
institutes. How IITs and IIMs maintain that fame? Because top students go
there. This is a evil chain. In India, we have so many Institutes other than
IITs and IIMs working very hard towards research for the betterment of mankind.
For instance, Sir C V Raman, a Nobel laureate in science was from Calcutta
university which became famous after his discovery on Raman effect which is not
an IIT. Already established research institutes like these should be recognized
and supported by the government. Improving the existing institutes is more
reliable and fruitful than creating a new one.
Most of the IITs doesn’t have good infrastructure for research
students. Research scholars having family have to wait for a long time to get
the family accommodation inside the campus and they are awarded a nominal
stipend of about 25,000 rupees per month. All these factors make most of the
students, not to take up research in India but in abroad. After which they
contribute to foreign nations and this is what the reason for brain drain. The
new government should look upon these critical issues very seriously.
Most of the B.E graduates fly abroad or they work for foreign
companies. No doubt this will bring revenue for our country but in a long run, our
jobs are dependent on them and we become
slaves. Instead, we should improve research in our country and support
start-ups by applying less tax and by providing subsidies for their
infrastructure. We should nourish those things which stays with India.
Smriti Irani, a new and young face, the HRD minister in the new
government was criticized by the opposition for her qualification and
inexperience to run the government. She bounced back by saying that those
things doesn’t matter and people should judge her by the work. But by pushing
funds to establish IITs and IIMs in all states, she is reflecting the fact what
critics says. HRD ministry is critical and will be watched by the intellectual
people across country and will be criticized badly for even a small wrong step.
With lots of expectation from the new government, this is definitely a bad
move. The new HRD ministry should look into existing problems and analyse them
at root level and take steps.
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