SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND HIGHER EDUCATION IN INDIA

CURRENT CURRICULUM OF HIGHER STUDIES:

• In India, advanced scientific research and education is driven mostly by government­ supported institutes such as the IITs, the IISERs, and Central and State universities.
• Along with private universities, they constitute India’s academic science ecosystem.
• At these institutes, faculty members conduct research in independently-­led groups and teach courses for various academic programmes.
• Independent faculty members are usually scientists with PhDs and expertise, including several years of postdoctoral training, in a specific domain.
• After their doctoral education and training, they can apply to be recruited at institutes and universities.
• Regular faculty appointments are typically continuous up to the age of retirement, with a salary paid by the institute.

ISSUES WITH SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTIONS OF INDIA:

• Government ­funded scientific institutions in India face crippling challenges related to faculty recruitment, with inordinate delays, age cut­offs, and lack of qualified candidates.
• As a result, several science departments have reported vacant positions even as they deal with increasing student numbers and demand for scientific output.
• Faculty members appointed on fellowships often face challenges in obtaining office and laboratory space and access to common research facilities at the host institute.
• In spite of a rigorous selection process and access to funds, scientists on fellowships have reported being treated as ‘second class’ faculty members at the host institute.
• Also autonomous institutes funded by the Departments of Science & Technology (DST) and of Biotechnology (DBT) have altogether stopped hosting faculty members on short-­term fellowships.
• It raised concerns with the uncertainty or inability to offer regular positions after the fellowship ends.
• This undervaluing of faculty fellowships overlooks the pros of a longer ­term vision for Indian science.

CHALLENGES IN RESEARCH AND HIGHER EDUCATION:

• According to the Ministry of Education, nearly 40% of the teaching posts at IITs (4,502 out of 11,170).

• More than 25% of sanctioned posts at Central universities (6,180 out of 18,956) are vacant.
• Around 6,000 students complete their PhDs in India every year, and many seek unsuccessfully academic faculty positions.
• Science departments also face serious challenges related to approvals and implementation of the recruitment process.

FACULTY FELLOWSHIPS: WAY AHEAD?

• As India aims to expand its science and technology footprint, faculty fellowships serve as a means to attract international scientific talent while retaining trained scientists in the country.
• The Ramalingaswami and Ramanujan Fellowships by the DBT and DST allow postdoctoral scientists with extensive international expertise and training to return to India and start their own research groups.

• Faculty fellowships present an opportunity for scientists to engage with institutes under mutually beneficial terms.
• During their tenure, faculty fellows develop a research programme at the institute, with tangible outcomes such as research papers and patents.
• At the same time, faculty fellowships also teach students and mentor researchers.
• For the host institute, these benefits often come at little cost, beyond a term-­based appointment and access to research facilities.

• The faculty fellowship programmes in India should be viewed as robust and diverse sources of research expertise and talent for the science ecosystem.
• The faculty fellows could view the fellowship period as a means to better understand professional opportunities in, and diverse ways of contributing to, the scientific enterprise in India.
• Institutes need to adopt an approach that supports faculty fellowships.
• Institutes should also provide fellows a conducive environment to start and build successful research and teaching programmes.