Universities are key elements in driving economic development

Updated on: Friday, August 17, 2012

Asking universities to focus on research, the Director of Indian Institute of Science (IIS) Padmanabhan Balaram today wondered whether this was the appropriate time for a major intervention by governments to catalyse transformation.

Balaram was addressing as chief guest at the Fifth Convocation of Ravenshaw University here.

The internationally acclaimed scientist, very critical about the "academic decline in all Indian universities", said when the economy and industry of the country were surging forward, educational and research institutions were showing little signs of upward mobility.

While the universities are concentrating on academics without giving emphasis on research, the research institutions are doing a lot of research which don't have much on academics, the IIS Director said suggesting that while varsities should focus on research, the institutions should work on academics as well.

"The emphasis on research has diminished over the years in Indian universities," Balaram said adding that fragmentation of centres of learning into medical, engineering, law and agriculture has hastened the decay.

He suggested that something has to be done at the government level immediately to revive our universities as in modern world, universities are key elements in driving economic development and in facing challenges of global competition.

Speaking on the occasion, the University Chancellor and Governor Muralidhar Chandrakant Bhandare expressed concern over the way the institutions are now entering into partnerships with private organisations to run self-financing courses.

"There is no regulation of these programmes run by universities with private organisations," the Chancellor said rueing the (Ravenshaw) University has been reduced to a degree churning machine.

"Even though these self-financing courses are market oriented and have great demands, very often the students who pass these courses find them unsuitable in the marketplace," Bhandare said.

Earlier the Chancellor conferred honoris causa on five eminent personalities of the country, including IIS Director Balaram.

He also awarded PhD degree to 17 scholars in different subjects.

The governor also presented gold medals to 52 graduates and post-graduates of the University who secured first positions in their respective subjects in the year 2011.

The University Vice-chancellor B C Tripathy presented a report of the institution in which he expressed his displeasure over the lack of sufficient faculties in the university to run the academic activities.

Universities are key elements in driving economic development

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