Sixth Pay Commission Debacles And Looking Forward... (Part 2)

In my last post I presented my views on what I believe went wrong during the 6^th pay commission at the level of “policy changes” in our country’s higher education system, i.e. in colleges, universities and institutes. In this post I address issues related to salaries all the way from primary schools to universities and institutes and try and make a case for making the teaching/academic profession in our country a more economically attractive option than it is today. If I have your patience I believe I will be able to make a case for a model which can link economic growth with growth in knowledge for members of our society.

Two points before I start:

1. I’m going to present my views within the framework of state and central government educational institutions (with the additional hope that they also translate to private institutions). So I’m going to assume that housing and medical benefits are already extended to teachers and academics at all levels from primary schools up. If not, it is my request that this happen. As far as medical benefits go, it is my submission that every teacher and academic be given comprehensive medical coverage for self and any dependents that he or she may have. As far as housing goes, I suppose the extent will vary in the sense of size of quarters provided. But at a bare minimum a decent one bedroom apartment should be provided to every primary school teacher in my opinion and we move up from there.

2. Wherever I talk about salaries, I will simply talk about gross salaries. To be frank, I’ve never really understood the whole Basic, D.A., etc breakup. So I won’t get into that level of detail and simply mention the net or gross amount that I believe teachers at different levels ought to be making.

First a bit about what motivates this post:

I firmly believe that teachers, academics and those committed to seeking knowledge in all disciplines and fields (scientists, historians, archaeologists, etc) are the bedrock of society as knowledge sustains everything else. If we want our society to be intellectually and culturally healthy and vibrant once again (I do not believe it is either today), we need to make the profession of knowledge itself something to aspire to instead of thinking of knowledge merely as a means to some material end.

Now I do not believe that the strategy to achieve this mindset shift ought to be purely economic in nature. One has to be drawn as much, if not more, towards knowledge as material possessions to start with. Knowledge is a wealth too. This realization needs to set in firmly if we as a society are to start valuing the pursuit of knowledge as much as more “material” pursuits. Plus a large part of the solution lies in my opinion in restoring the social respectability of the teaching/academic profession - particularly at the primary and secondary school levels. The situation in this regard is particularly dismal in our country from what I can see. We need to realize one thing very very clearly: disrespect the teaching profession, discourage good people from taking it up, and we descend into ignorance. It’s as simple as that. Our children will no longer grow up with a sound foundation in knowledge and values and it will be a pretty sad day when such a state of affairs comes to pass. So respecting teachers and realizing that their contribution towards sustaining a knowledge centric and humane society is something very immense is critical.

But this said, we need to be aware that there is an economic aspect to this profession like any other that needs to be fairly addressed too. Teachers, academics, scientists and others in the profession of knowledge have the need to be economically secure too. They too would like for their children to be assured of the best possible education and healthcare just like anyone else. They will have ageing parents at some stage as well and would like them to have a comfortable old age with access to high quality health care whenever needed just as anyone else would. Plus they themselves would be well within their rights in my opinion to want a reasonably comfortable and well off life both during their professional careers and in their years of retirement and old age (for which they too would need to save and invest just like anyone else!). “Austerity” needs to be a personal choice in my opinion. We need not go about imposing it on some professions as some sort of a moral requirement while being alright with outright debauchery in others. A more balanced approach rather than harbouring extreme viewpoints would be what I recommend. This is a mistake we have been making for quite a while in our country in my opinion and we need to correct it.

To repeat an example I gave in a recent post that I believe underlines my concern that the teaching profession is not as economically sound as it ought to be:

Some 5-6 years ago I took a cab from Delhi airport. I happened to strike up a conversation with the cabbie during which I asked him how much he makes per month. I still remember his answer: things used to be better some years ago but now he was making only about Rs. 30,000/- to Rs. 35,000/- per month. Now I have absolutely nothing against cabbies making a decent living, but how many primary schools in our country do you think were paying their teachers at least Rs. 30,000/- to Rs. 35,000/- per month around 2009-2010 (i.e. 5-6 years ago)? And remember, as per the cabbie these were not as good days for him as before when he made more.

If we have allowed things to come to such a pass that being a cabbie in Delhi or  Mumbai (or perhaps even a paan-bidi shop owner or a pizza delivery personnel in some establishments) have become more lucrative options than being a primary school teacher in one’s own town then, with due respect to all these professions, it only reflects our immense lack of maturity and foresight. Likewise with other essential professions (as I like to call them): nurses, hawaldars, soldiers... We need very good people (and lots of them) to man these professions and cannot afford to compromise on quality one bit. And we can’t hope to make this happen if we don’t sort out the economics of it. Idealism in its own place, family bread and butter in its own.

Sure let us set high standards in recruiting teachers. Sure let us expect teachers to continuously develop themselves in terms of knowledge as well as teaching pedagogies. To teach children and nurture them into becoming mature adults and responsible members of the society is no small thing. And we certainly need to recruit the best people we can to do this. But at the same time let us also then pay them salaries that are respectable enough for the teaching profession to become economically sound and not be a constraint that comes in the way of capable people choosing it as a career option – at least early in their lives before they have earned higher degrees that can enable them to pursue options of either teaching at colleges and universities or perhaps taking up other career paths if that be their eventual choice (I'll expand on the 2nd part of this statement later in this post).

So here’s my first proposition: Let the minimum starting gross salaries for school teachers be set as follows (I’ll talk about the need to cap these salaries as well later):

Primary school (Grades 1 to 5): Rs. 30,000/- per month.                  

[Minimum qualification: B.A./B.Sc./B.Com.]

Secondary school (Grades 6 to 10): Rs. 40,000/- per month.

[Minimum qualification: B.A./B.Sc./B.Com. + B.Ed.  OR  B.Tech./B.E. (longer program) OR M.A./M.Sc./M.Com.

Higher secondary school (Grades 11-12): Rs. 50,000/- per month.

[Minimum qualification: B.A./B.Sc./B.Com. + B.Ed.  OR  B.Tech./B.E. (longer program) OR M.A./M.Sc./M.Com.

Yes! I do believe that we need to value our bachelors degrees as well as the teaching profession this much.

Similarly, starting salaries for instructors for Diploma programmes in Technical Education at institutes such as ITIs can be set at Rs. 60,000/- per month with minimum qualification requirement being a M.Tech./M.E.

I want to make a point here that I will keep coming back to again and again: Let us aim at establishing a culture wherein people in the teaching profession continue to study more themselves and pursue higher degrees alongside their teaching responsibilities at different levels.

Say someone takes up a teaching position at the primary school level right after their B.A., B.Sc. or B.Com. Let them not stagnate there. Instead, they can pursue a B.Ed.  or M.A./M.Sc./M.Com. alongside and try and move up to being a secondary school teacher, and after some experience perhaps a higher secondary school teacher. Likewise, teachers at the secondary and higher secondary levels can pursue a PhD alongside to try and obtain either a faculty position at a college/institute/university or an administrative position such as principal at the school level.

Sure pursuing higher degrees alongside one’s teaching responsibilities would likely take more time than pursuing them full time. But one earns a salary alongside and that can be exactly what is needed for many a individual or family.

To encourage this continuous pursuit of higher education oneself and migrating to teaching at higher levels, we can put in place caps and jumps in salaries when one migrates to the next level as an incentive.

Coming to institutes and universities:

In my last post I had argued for a reversal to PhD being the minimum requirement for an Assistant Professorship at universities and institutes (instead of PhD plus three years of post-PhD experience) while pointing out that selection committees have the discretion anyway to recommend if necessary that a particular candidate first gain some more research experience through a post-doctoral research fellowship before being appointed as an Assistant Professor. So, I’ll first suggest salaries at the post-doctoral research fellow level (which should ideally be at the most 2-3 year positions in my opinion):

I would recommend setting the starting monthly salary for post-doctoral research fellows at Rs. 80,000/-.

If I’m not mistaken, this would be a significant increase in salary at this level and I believe it would be a step in the right direction. Post-doctoral research fellows can play an important role in increasing the research impetus in our universities and institutes. Such a salary might not only increase the probability of some of our brighter PhD graduates choosing to gain their post-doctoral research experience in institutes and universities within the country rather than going abroad for the same but may also help us attract candidates from outside the country.

The starting salary for Assistant Professors at institutes and universities can be set at Rs. 1,20,000/- per month. From here on it would be a matter of being promoted to an Associate Professorship and then a Professorship based on performance and I suppose an evaluation of one’s academic maturity. Again, let there be caps and jumps in salary while migrating from the Assistant Professor to Associate Professor and Associate Professor to Professor levels as incentives to keep trying to progress to higher levels. But I am going to desist from opining on what these salary caps and jumps should be or what the starting salaries for Associate Professors and Professors ought to be.

The post of Professor, in my opinion, ought to indicate a judgement by the academic community that one has attained to a level of academic maturity beyond which one need not be judged or evaluated anymore. So there really needn’t be any more posts as I see it.

Posts of administrative and academic leadership in institutes and universities (Heads of Departments, Deans, Directors), as I see things, ought to indicate responsibilities taken up by members of the academic community from time to time as service and not be looked at as “promotions”. I do not believe any of these responsibilities need have separate salaries associated with them. Instead, I am of the opinion that one simply continue to earn salary as per one’s station in his or her academic journey while executing such responsibilities. Just that how well one executes such responsibilities (yes, that needs to be evaluated too!) be accounted for when forming a judgement on one’s overall credentials.

I end this post with a submission that while we have certainly come a long way since our independence in 1947, we have a longer way to go still before we can claim to be relevant in the global academic community. I believe that in order to achieve such a standing we need to address the economic aspects of knowledge centric professions in our country as much as correcting our mindset vis a vis how we view knowledge and its relevance and importance in our lives. I have presented my views on what would be a balanced approach as we move forward. It is my hope that the relevant bodies in our country’s academia as well as state and central governments will take the necessary steps during future pay commissions to remove any lacunae that might exist and give a positive thrust to academic, scientific and all other knowledge centric professions in our country.

True that the above will possibly require significant budgetary revisions as far as allocations to the education sector go. Would it be worth it? I hope I have been able to convince you that it would. Additionally, one mindset shift in the society at large that would go a long way in bringing about this economic impetus to the education sector is the willingness of those who can afford to pay for education to do so while subsidies and scholarships be reserved exclusively for those who actually need them. Most of us who are well off don’t really hold back from spending money on material comforts and luxuries. While I don’t really have a problem with that as such, I do believe that we shouldn’t hesitate on spending on education either. Knowledge is no less important.

Actually perhaps many of us already do spend a fair bit on education when we feed the humongous coaching industry that has taken root in our country. From what I have heard salaries in coaching institutes are possibly significantly higher than in schools. I wouldn’t be surprised if better people teach at coaching centres today than at schools. Or if school teachers double up as coaching class teachers.

I recommend that we direct our resources directly at schools. Let’s upgrade them, hire the very best to teach our children, demand the very best from them and be willing to pay them salaries they deserve.

Sixth Pay Commission Debacles And Looking Forward... (Part 1)

[Note 1: This article focuses only on policies, not salaries.]

[Note 2: That said, salaries are an important consideration too. I’ll discuss that aspect in my next post.]

A few things went very wrong in my opinion as far as sixth pay commission recommendations and their implementation went for the academic community in our country. I’m going to talk about these a bit here (within the context of college/institute/university level academia as that’s the part I am aware of) before presenting my views in the next post on what the future pay commissions can do to provide a thrust to academics as a whole in our country all the way from primary schools to institutes and universities.

The first bungle that happened was the removal of lectureship as a post across the country. This has resulted in people with Masters level education becoming Assistant Professors. While a Masters degree is certainly indicative of a certain level of command in a field, I do not believe it is a high enough benchmark (unless one has substantial industrial experience alongside) to allow the academic title of Assistant Professor (or higher based on experience). Sure salaries for Assistant Professors with a Masters degree have probably been kept lower than PhD holders at the same post. But just setting salaries lower or higher is not enough as far as the overall picture goes. Attaining to appropriate posts at the right stage in one’s career after having obtained the necessary educational qualifications and/or relevant experience, and demonstrating a certain level of competence and ability, is equally important if we wish to maintain high standards. Else titles lose their significance and people who are not intellectually and professionally ready get them before time. That’s not healthy for the profession as a whole in my opinion.

Being an Assistant Professor is no small thing. This title cannot be given to people before they are ready if we wish to avoid a dilution of standards overall. Benchmarks need to be set high and people need to be encouraged to put in the effort required to reach them.

So this is one thing that needs to be reversed in my opinion: A few Junior Laboratory Lectureships for people with only a Bachelors degree but with demonstrated potential for excellence in laboratory instruction, Lectureships for Masters degree holders and Post-Doctoral-Research-Fellowships, Assistant Professorships and above for PhD holders. Additionally what needs to be encouraged in my opinion is people continually moving up in their professional careers by pursuing higher degrees alongside their teaching responsibilities. For example, a Junior Lecturer can pursue a Masters degree alongside his or her teaching responsibilities and upon completion apply for a Lectureship. Similarly Lecturers can pursue PhD degrees alongside their teaching responsibilities and upon completion apply for either Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships or Assistant Professorships (if they are judged to be exceptional). Higher posts (Associate and Full Professorships) of course are a matter of promotion based on performance since PhD is the highest academic degree one can obtain.

For my next few observations I’m going to focus on where I believe things went wrong as far as IITs are concerned but I hope I’ll be able to draw a few points in the process that I believe should apply to institute/university level academia in our country as a whole and not just one set of institutes. I was not only teaching at an IIT when the 6^th pay commission came around (still am) but was also an active participant of the IIT faculty federation that engaged in a dialogue with the then Minister of Human Resource and Development, Mr. Kapil Sibal.

The first thing that I believe went wrong (and I’ll elaborate on why I think so in a moment) was in introducing the requirement that one necessarily have three years of experience beyond his or her PhD to apply for a "regular" Assistant Professorship at an IIT. A new post called Assistant Professor on Contract was introduced that is given today till these three years of experience are accumulated.

This was a departure from the past when the minimum requirement to apply for a regular post was having a PhD degree. Sure some post-doctoral experience was looked at positively and it was possible to recognize the experience gained at this level through additional increments in one’s starting salary. But fresh PhD graduates with a sound academic background overall and demonstrated competence and readiness who wanted to enter the teaching profession right away were equally welcome to apply – they didn’t necessarily have to wait for an additional three years for a regular appointment if they were good enough to be absorbed sooner. The selection committee was empowered to gauge the merit of each applicant and decide who to offer a position and who not.

That was a better system in my opinion. Not only did it give more flexibility but it also increased the chances of addressing faculty shortage in IITs in a shorter time frame. A candidate is more likely to apply for a regular post instead of a contractual one. And as I remarked above, selection committees have the discretion to not offer someone a regular post anyway if they judge that he or she is not ready yet. They can always recommend after evaluating the candidate that he or she spend some time as a post-doctoral research fellow first to gain more research experience, or maybe gain some teaching experience as a senior lecturer (this provision existed at IITs and can be enabled again), if they feel that the candidate is not ready yet. On the other hand, if someone is academically ready sooner than others then why not absorb them sooner? It is only to our advantage to do so in my opinion. Why "hard code" this three year requirement at the level of policy and tie ourselves down?

So that’s the next thing that needs to be reversed in my opinion: The minimum requirement for an Assistant Professorship at IITs (or any Institute and University in the country for that matter) needs to be reset at having a PhD degree. Individual institutes have the prerogative to require further experience anyway. But I don’t think there’s any case for making such requirements mandatory for all institutes. In fact I feel that is only counterproductive. It reduces the level of flexibility available to selection committees and can potentially result in bright candidates taking up positions elsewhere because all the IITs are able to offer them presently are contractual positions for three years after their PhD.

Along the same lines, the following policies were brought in during the 6^th pay commission for appointments at the associate and full professor levels:

Associate Professor: To become an Associate Professor at an IIT, one now requires at least six years of post-PhD experience of which at least three should be at the Assistant Professor level at IITs or equivalent institutes.

The first part of the policy - requirement of at least six years of post-PhD experience - is fine.

Regarding the second part - at least three years as Assistant Professor at IITs or equivalent institutes - think about the following carefully:

The requirement of first having been an Assistant Professor at IITs or equivalent institutes to apply for an Associate Professorship at an IIT can potentially lock out people (or unnecessarily delay their career progression) who have been at other institutes despite the possibility of them having performed well there. This is unnecessary in my opinion. In fact appointments at all levels (Assistant, Associate and Full Professorships) in IITs are through open advertisements and selection committees ought to evaluate candidates based on their performance at the previous level regardless of whether they are internal or external candidates. So we need only focus on how one has performed and not be concerned about where one has worked previously. Why rule out the possibility of people improving themselves with time? In fact, I am of the opinion that people should be encouraged to "move up in life" by continually improving themselves.

Say someone did not manage to obtain an academic position at an IIT or an equivalent institute right after his or her PhD and joined some other institute instead. And then worked really hard to improve themselves further and in some years started performing at the level of an IIT faculty member. Say such a person demonstrates sustained performance at an academically high level and can make a case for an Associate Professorship at an IIT at some point. I really don’t see why he or she should not be encouraged to apply for the same. Sure let these candidates be evaluated with as much rigor as anyone else. But in principle they should be as eligible to become Associate Professors at an IIT as anyone else as long as they are able to demonstrate that they are competent enough for the post when they apply.

Such a policy can also discourage people working in industries or research labs from migrating to academics. Someone may choose to join an industry or take up a scientific position in a research lab right after his or her PhD and wish to enter the teaching position after some years. As long as he or she has demonstrated a high enough level of competence and performance I do not see a problem with them coming into IITs as Associate Professors in a manner commensurate with their seniority and experience elsewhere instead of having to necessarily take a dip in their careers, spend three years as Assistant Professors, and then apply for an Associate Professorship. In fact, I would see it as a positive for our academic community if it can draw good people from industries and research labs towards itself. It is only counterproductive to discourage such migrations in my opinion.

The requirement to apply for an Associate Professorship should simply be 6 years of post-PhD experience with no other conditions. It is simple, uncomplicated and offers complete flexibility for people who might wish to migrate upwards from a lower ranked institute to an IIT (and there’s no reason why they should be prevented from doing so as long as they prove themselves worthy – in fact, as I have remarked above, the idea of working hard and "moving up in life" needs to be encouraged in my opinion!) as well as laterally from industries and research labs to academia.

Professor: To become a Professor at an IIT one now requires at least 10 years of post-PhD experience of which at least four years should have been at the level of Associate Professor at an IIT or an equivalent institute.

This is double jeopardy!

Say someone who is an Associate Professor elsewhere wishes to apply for a Professorship at an IIT. What is it that we expect of him now? That he first be an Assistant Professor ( i.e. actually take a demotion!) for three years, then be an Associate Professor for four years at IIT and then be eligible to apply for a Professorship. I see absolutely no point in insisting on this.

Likewise for people who might want to move from industries or research labs to IITs later in their careers. If they are good enough, then they ought to be able to come in as Professors in my opinion and that so in a manner that is commensurate with their seniority and experience. I see absolutely no point in necessarily making people take a dip in their careers if they want to move to an IIT.

If someone can prove that he is academically ready to be a Professor at an IIT, he should be made a Professor at an IIT. As simple as that.

[All this makes even lesser sense in our present predicament when all IITs are said to be facing a faculty shortage!]

The policy should simply be that one have at least 10 years of post-PhD experience to become eligible to apply for the post of Professor – no other conditions. It is simple, uncomplicated and offers more flexibility.

It is my submission that the above policy changes that were brought in during the 6^th pay commission have not been beneficial. The previous policies were more sound and I believe we need to revert to them for a healthier and more rational functioning of our country’s academic system.

[As indicated at the start of my post I will present my thoughts on matters related to salaries in the teaching/academic profession all the way from primary schools to institutes and universities in my next post.]

Different Knowledge Systems May Call For Different Education Formats

I'm going to keep this post relatively short as the point I wish to make is quite straightforward in my opinion and I believe I'll be able to make it fairly succinctly.

Consider systems of knowledge such as modern day science and technology that have developed and evolved over the last few centuries primarily in the west.

For such systems of knowledge it is perhaps an acceptable premise that the manner in which the rest of the world engages with them and the educational framework through which they are communicated to the next generations of students are aligned with educational methodologies in the west, at least till such a time that someone somewhere either demonstrates the existence of a better knowledge system or establishes that an alternate educational framework would be better.

What the presently and widely accepted educational framework for such knowledge systems translates to in more concrete terms is three to four year bachelors degree programs followed by two to three year masters programs and finally doctoral programs that can vary a fair bit in their lengths from student to student and advisor to advisor. Within these durations, recent times have seen the implementation of the semester system along with credit based coursework across universities in India. These structures (and degree titles) have essentially been adapted from the west and as I remarked above I can see the validity of doing so for since that's where they have primarily developed and progressed for quite a while now.

However, I do sense a problem with imposing such modalities and structures on every knowledge system.

Consider education in Indian classical music for example (I also extend to other subjects later in the post):

[Before getting to the central point I want to make, I think it's important to emphasize the following: Music education is taken very seriously in the west and pretty much every university of standing has a school of music that offers education in diverse forms of music all the way till the doctoral level. The best universities in the world are not all about STEM. We need to create a similarly vibrant music education atmosphere in our universities. In doing this, we can certainly be global and offer education in forms of music from all around the world - but we must do so without losing focus on our own music systems.]

And here's the point I want to make:

I'm not quite sure that a credit based semester system is the best possible framework for education in Indian classical music (or some of the other subjects that I list later in the post).

I'm also not sure that graduating at the Bachelors or Masters level with a certain grade point average or percentage of marks is a sensible notion in the field of music. To be called a Bachelor of Music or a Master of Music must necessarily mean that you have raised yourself to a certain level of calibre in the art form. A Doctorate in Music of course would relate to taking the field itself further through research or a deep fundamental innovation. That's only for a few people anyway in any field and I personally don't like to associate rigid time frames with the pursuit.

If you read about any of the maestros in the field, past and present, you will likely find that the way they have been educated is very different from how we have become used to viewing education. And the results of their manner of education are absolutely beyond any discussion. I'll just take a few names from north Indian classical music to drive home this point: Pandit Ravi Shankar, Pandit Nikhil Banerjee, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia, the Dagar brothers. Note that these are names from the recent past and the present. I have not even gone to the distant past: example: Mia Tansen. So their manner of education does extend to the contemporary.

The challenge in front of us is: To bring the classical manner of music education without dilution in modern universities of today.

Now I'm not an expert myself in this field so shouldn't really opine on how to go about implementing an alternate method of education that may be more appropriate to the field of Indian classical music in our universities. Can it be done? If so how? What kind of teacher-student ratios would be ideal? How would one qualify to teach in such a university program? Note that some of the best Indian classical musicians in the world today would probably not have "PhDs" - that's a relatively recent introduction in their field - yet, we would surely want to absorb them as faculty members! What would be the criteria to call someone a Bachelor of Music or Master of Music? What might be some of the intermediate benchmarks till one arrives at the status of being called a Pandit or Ustad? At what stages (if any) can one be meaningfully absorbed as a teacher at different levels so that the students' (and their families') economic conditions may be addressed? These are all important questions that must be addressed in my opinion by none other than experts in the field of music themselves. So I propose the following:

Let the Ministry of Culture along with the Ministries of Education and Human Resource and Development and the University Grants Commission organize a conclave of maestros in north as well as south Indian classical music and seek advice from them on all these questions. Let us adapt the educational framework they recommend. The same university can have different frameworks and modalities for different knowledge systems. I don't see a problem with that. In fact, our universities would only be the richer for it as I see things.

I propose that such an effort be extended to the following uniquely Indian systems of knowledge:

1. Indian classical music (all forms) [already discussed above]

2. Indian classical dance (all forms)

3. Yoga (philosophy and practice)

4. Indian philosophical systems

The very cultural identity of any people is intimately connected with their knowledge systems and for this identity to persist it is of paramount importance that these knowledge systems not only be preserved but an ecosystem created (academic aa well as economic) in which they thrive. Integration of Indian knowledge systems in Indian universities is of paramount importance. And we must do this in a way and through an educational framework that is appropriate for our knowledge systems.

Of course, we would welcome all niche systems of knowledge and associated scholars, experts and teachers from around the world - East and West - and impart instruction in these using educational frameworks relevant to them.

I look forward to the day when universities across India will thrive in knowledge systems from all parts of the world with each system being addressed and communicated through modalities and structures appropriate to it.

[I also invite you to read: Strike a Pause: Globalizing Indian Universities (strike-a-pause.blogspot.com)]

Globalizing Indian Universities

The first question I pose to myself is: What would be a meaningful tangible indicator that our universities are “globally relevant”? The answer that makes sense to me is: When students from across the world, including what are today the most advanced nations, want to come and learn from us.

Think about it. Isn’t that what essentially makes many american and european universities, for example, globally relevant? That students from across the world aspire to go study there? And why is it that this is so? Again, the answer is simple: Because they are at the forefront of knowledge. Period.

So the first condition we need to satisfy if students from all over the world are to look towards us for knowledge is to be at the absolute frontier in every field. And the only way we can achieve this is by committing ourselves to knowledge discovery at the very cutting edge and pushing the frontiers forward ourselves. As far as science and technology go (which are the domains I work in), here's my conviction on the way forward: In the pure sciences and mathematics, this translates into committing ourselves to working on the most fundamental, important and challenging problems in different areas while in the applied sciences, engineering and technology, we commit ourselves to seeking solutions that are second to none in their precision, efficiency, creativity, comprehensiveness, wisdom and reach of influence. It is certainly possible that the approaches some of us take and the solutions we propose, whether for problems in the pure sciences or applied, are different from the prevailing points of view. That is perfectly fine. But the commitment to excellence must be absolute. And this is not a slow, gradual commitment to make. It must be immediate and emphatic. Now. There is absolutely no point in looking for short cuts. There are none.

I do realize that what I have just said is not going to be easy. There is an entire mindset shift that needs to happen at the level of how we perceive an academic's role. Discovery of knowledge needs to be emphasized as much as its transmission. [I discuss this in more detail here: http://strike-a-pause.blogspot.in/2016/02/striking-balance-between-teaching-and.html]. Norms related to academic duties and expectations to be met for career progression need to reflect the right balance between teaching and research. Appropriate infrastructure and manpower investments must be made wherever required to enable state of the art research, particularly in the experimental sciences. And all this has to be backed by well thought out administrative policies that are committed to efficiency and the sustenance of an overall atmosphere that is cordial and committed to excellence. But if we are intent on the goal, serious about our aspirations and willing to bend our backs in effort, then I cannot see why success would elude us.

To understand where things have gone wrong in our country from the viewpoint of knowledge discovery, consider this: Pretty much any book dealing with any field of science and technology (I don't know enough about other fields to comment on them) that you pick up today contains knowledge that has by and large been discovered outside our country. Our input, either in terms of modern knowledge or aspects of traditional knowledge that may still be relevant and worthwhile, is pretty much non existent. One of the reasons this has happened is we have misunderstood the academic's role at a very fundamental level. We have turned things upside down. Our (mis)understanding is that professors are meant to primarily be in classrooms i.e. they are just teachers. What this translates to is professors (at least in science and technology) in our country being required to simply assimilate knowledge discovered elsewhere and spend hours and hours in the classroom to pass it on to the next generation. Then comes all this noise about how professors should be solving problems that in fact our bachelors and masters degree holders should be. At the end of it all, this is how much value addition happens in terms of knowledge discovery: Zero.

If we don't correct our understanding now, we will still be in the same boat fifty years from today. We will still be reading books that contain knowledge discovered by other people elsewhere. Neither would we have made a significant contribution to the global knowledge community in modern knowledge nor would we have been able to revive those aspects of our traditional knowledge that may still be relevant and worthwhile but can get lost in obscurity due to not being studied systematically. And if we don't consolidate our identity in the field of knowledge, we are going to stay behind overall. We will always be the world's backyard. Many may come and "Make in India" but we will never really reach the level where we "Create in India" and capture the world's imagination. You can be absolutely assured of this.

An academic is as much a philosopher, a thinker, a researcher, as a teacher. They have to be given the time and space to immerse themselves in knowledge and contemplate deeply on fundamental problems and challenges. Spending quality time in their offices and labs with a firm and intense research focus and delivering a few hours of lectures of the highest quality every week - this has to be our modus operandi if we are to be at the very frontiers of knowledge and take our understanding of ourselves and the universe we live in further.

Whatever I have said thus far is from the point of view of science and technology but I suppose a similar spirit would apply to many other fields too. And as soon as we talk about a university, it becomes imperative that all fields of knowledge thrive – not just a limited set.

This brings me to the next question I wish to pose:

If we wish to be a hub of knowledge, what fields of study can we offer to the world at large that are unique to us as a people?

Some answers that come to my mind immediately are:

1) Languages: Just look at the extent to which languages such as French, German and Spanish have become popular. And through these languages have become accessible vast storehouses of literature that open windows to cultures and histories of so many communities that have inhabited the Earth. Can we not offer our languages to the world in return. Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit, Punjabi, Hindi, Bengali, Urdu…we have probably the most diversity and richness in languages that the world has ever known! And each of these languages is abundantly rich with literary expression. Can our universities not thrive in Indic language studies and literature and these departments open their doors to students from across the world? (Of course, other world languages would be equally welcome and taught too!)

2) Music: Pretty much every university of repute in the west has a music school where education in musical forms such as western classical and jazz is taken with utmost seriousness. Do we have the same emphasis on Indian music forms in our universities? Can anyone doubt the richness of our music forms such as Hindustani and Carnatic? Can we not have thriving music schools in our universities where students from across the world come, stay and learn? (Of course, all genres of music from all over the world would be equally welcome and taught at these schools!)

3) Dance: Indian dance forms such as Kathak and Bharatnatyam are as rich and diverse as the Indian music forms. Do we have enough schools of dance in our universities where international students can come and learn from masters in these arts? (Of course, all forms of dance from all over the world would be equally welcome and taught at these schools!)

4) History of Indian Science and Technology: There is enough evidence that this country had a history of technological activity. This is most evident in the fields of Civil Engineering, Architecture, Metallurgy and Medicine. This poses interesting questions: To what extent were our approaches similar to modern science and technology? And if there were differences in approaches and the underlying scientific structure, what were they? History is an important subject in itself and one finds books on History of Science and Technology as far as Modern Science and Technology go. I think it would be a fair pursuit to have History of Indian Science and Technology as an active field of study in our universities and explore it systematically. (Of course, this would be a subset of a larger sphere of activity in the History of Science and Technology overall per se.)

5) Vedic studies and Indian philosophical systems: Can we not have departments which offer the opportunity to the worldwide student community to come and learn these subjects from scholars and experts here?

These are niche disciplines and fields of study that we can offer to the worldwide student community uniquely. Since we have not had the tradition of “formal degrees being the only way” to master many such disciplines, we may need to use the concept of “Professor of Practice” to bring in the faculty. But we can make these disciplines thrive in our universities if we try. This will not only immediately make our universities globally relevant but also have a tremendously positive economic outcome in that it will generate employment for many many scholars, artists and practitioners by formally bringing them into the teaching profession. And the revenue generated when students from all over the world come and learn from them will serve towards taking our universities again to the great heights they had once reached.

[I also invite you to read: Strike a Pause: Different Knowledge Systems May Call For Different Education Formats (strike-a-pause.blogspot.com)]

The Quest To Be Numero Uno In University Rankings

It is a well consolidated aspiration in our country today that our universities be world class. And correctly so, since the presence of immense talent and potential is unquestionable. It is almost as if a great force has been in check for a long time, a great energy has been simmering just beneath the surface that wants to burst through all at once and manifest itself as a state of excellence that the whole world cannot but acknowledge. The urgency of this aspiration is palpable and expresses itself most frequently as an immense frustration with the status-quo and a desire for almost immediate change. I, for one, am glad for the restlessness that has built up as it holds the promise of meaningful action and a change for the better.

The above has, perhaps understandably so, spawned a huge furore for some years now regarding how universities and institutes in India fare in international rankings. I'm not quite sure, however, that we have taken a step back and consolidated our views on what these rankings mean for us and what might be the best way forward to realizing our ambition of being second to none. This is an extremely important discussion to have in my opinion as it will set in place policies and priorities that have long term implications. The very direction we take in terms of the academic goals we pursue, the nature of research and development activity we encourage, the questions we ask and our methods and directions of inquiry, the training we impart to our students, the kind of opportunities we create for our graduates at the bachelors, masters and doctoral levels: everything depends on the academic agendas we embark on. And if our entire academic agenda must get decided by a quest to be number one in some system of evaluation, we need to at least make this choice consciously. Perhaps we choose to be evaluated by a system that already exists (and in the process shape ourselves after that). Or perhaps we take our own independent decision on both, the long term goals we set for ourselves, and the benchmarks we need to cross in the short and middle terms to ensure that we are actually making progress towards achieving them. Either which way, these choices and decisions need to be made with as much clarity of thought as possible.

I suppose one can view the overall debate from different directions. Two extremes that come to my mind are: (1) Let's not worry about getting ranked in any manner whatsoever by anyone at all and (2) Let's simply adopt and mould ourselves after systems that have evolved in other parts of the world and have been shaped by priorities and agendas that may be different from ours. Both these extremes do not hit the mark in my opinion. The former, while carrying an idealistic notion of complete self reliance, can basically make us lazy while justifying our ineptitude, inefficiency and lethargy by projecting ourselves as having taken an elevated standpoint that is not completely sincere. The latter, on the other hand, is akin to giving away our steering wheel to someone else instead of putting our own minds to challenges that face us and thinking for ourselves. That is being inept and lazy too.

What may be needed is that we come up with our own way of evaluating ourselves that is (a) aligned with our goals, aspirations, and very importantly, the mandate with which universities and institutes are established in our country and (b) provides rational feedback that can be used to improve our universities systematically. I present some thoughts here, first building up logical bases to emphasize particular aspects and then crystallizing them into measurable quantities that can be used as ranking parameters. I come from a science and technology background and this will reflect in this post. I suppose, however, that one can carry out a similar analysis for other fields of study as well.

The mandate at hand (as I see it) is two fold: 1) Provide the best training possible at the bachelors, masters and doctoral levels in different disciplines thus creating a highly trained workforce for the nation's development and 2) Carry out cutting edge fundamental and applied research of the highest quality thus contributing towards knowledge creation and the solving of problems critical to our country's progress as well as human and environmental welfare in general at the global level.

Let us take a look at the training aspect first. My evaluation would be based on the following two criteria:

1) The quality of teaching (both in terms of the depth with which different subjects are covered and the breadth of study available in terms of electives that students can choose from) and masters/doctoral level thesis/dissertation guidance that prevails at different universities/institutes.

The quality of thesis/dissertation guidance at the masters and doctoral levels is in general directly correlated with how actively engaged faculty members themselves are in research and deepening their scholarship in different areas. These faculty members can also develop and offer elective courses in their areas of expertise which can become a medium for students to explore different subjects and deepen their understanding in them, figure out their specific interests and potentially get engaged in research pursuits themselves. Thus every effort needs to be made to hire faculty members who are research and scholarship motivated and favourable conditions created for them to stay research and scholarship motivated and research and scholarship active. The first thing to be done towards creating such a research and scholarship intensive atmosphere in any university is to hire a sufficiently large number of high quality and academically serious faculty members so that teaching responsibilities are well spread out and each faculty member has ample time to pursue his/her research and scholarship interests (in contrast to a smaller faculty strength that is overburdened by teaching) [I discuss this aspect in more detail here: http://strike-a-pause.blogspot.in/2016/02/striking-balance-between-teaching-and.html]. This then needs to be complemented by appropriate infrastructural, personnel and monetary support to ensure unhindered progress, well thought out administrative policies that are committed to efficiency, and the sustenance of an overall atmosphere that is conducive to progress of knowledge as a whole with teaching and research & scholarship feeding into each other

It will thus be incumbent upon every university/institute in the country that wishes to be viewed with a degree of respect to actively seek, hire and retain the most qualified, competent and motivated faculty members that they can find and put in place policies and support mechanisms that enable them to pursue their academic goals as best possible.

Specific ranking parameters:

(a) Number of highly qualified faculty members.

(b) Quality of core academic curriculum at the bachelors, masters and doctoral levels as evaluated by how up-to-date and educationally sound it is.

(c) The range and diversity of electives consistently offered in different disciplines.

(d) Quality of masters/doctoral level thesis/dissertation guidance as evaluated through feedback from peers. This will implicitly depend upon the infrastructural, personnel and monetary support provided to pursue research and development activities (I will list this as a parameter when I address the research aspect of our mandate) as well as the amount of time faculty members are able to devote towards their own research and scholarship as well as in guiding their students.

(e)  Books written by faculty members (both at the technical level and those directed at the general audience) that receive national and global recognition. It is imperative in my opinion that we work towards publishing world class text and reference books that are comparable to those published by academics world wide. I feel this will have a direct bearing on the psychology students carry when they graduate from our institutes. If they feel that world class books are being written only by authors in other countries, then we cannot blame them for feeling that world class research also happens in other parts of the world. If we want the best of our students to consistently look at opportunities for higher studies within the country, they should be able to walk into a book store, pick up books by Indian authors, place it next to those in the same subject by foreign authors and think : "Yes, our books are as good as or better than theirs."

2) The extent to which graduates in different disciplines either opt for higher studies or undertake careers in their core and allied areas.

I cannot emphasize the seriousness of this aspect enough. It relates to the very essence of why universities and institutes are established in the first place. And success in this aspect will depend not just on the universities/institutes themselves but on the rest of the society, the government and policy makers as well because the extent to which a well trained workforce can be absorbed meaningfully is directly dependent on the extent to which opportunities are available when students complete their respective academic programs at different levels.

Specific ranking parameters:

(a) Number of bachelors/masters degree holders either opting to study further or undertaking a career in their area of study (with due consideration to the interdisciplinary nature of many a subject).

(b) Number of PhD holders undertaking academic/scientific careers.

The second aspect I wish to emphasize has to do with the nature of research undertaken. Broadly speaking I consider that research meaningful which falls into one of the following three categories:

1) Fundamental research:

In its pure aspect this involves asking questions that are primarily curiosity driven and serve to further our quest for knowledge.

This aspect of research can often be the most misunderstood as one can wonder about the usefulness of such a pursuit. To correct this misunderstanding one simply needs to realize that knowledge is a worthwhile pursuit in itself as long as the curiosity is genuine. The desire to understand this universe better, to understand ourselves better, an appreciation of art, music, philosophy, mathematics, beauty; these are worthwhile pursuits and reflect a refined intellect and personality. Knowledge is to the mind and intellect, as food is to the body.

In its applied aspect, one asks questions that are fundamental in nature but can underlie a variety of applications. To give a simple example: Every discovery that advances our understanding of turbulence theory immediately impacts applications cutting across sectors such as aircraft safety, geophysical fluid dynamics, cardiovascular fluid dynamics, pollutant dispersion, etc.

The tangible outcomes of such pursuits are papers published in journals and presented at conferences (the contents of which can get absorbed in books over time if relevant/important enough), masters theses and doctoral dissertations, and state of the art knowledge transmitted in university classrooms.

Specific ranking parameters:

(a) High quality journal and conference publications. My emphasis on “high quality” is firm. We need to stay mindful that the publication industry is a business too and guard against pressures to just keep churning out papers regardless of their quality. At the same time we need to guard against complacency and ensure that we take our research pursuits to the publication stage. There are journals in most subjects that have built a reputation for quality over the years. Plus it would be good to see journals originating from within the country build up a reputation by maintaining high refereeing standards and faculty members across our universities being encouraged to publish their findings in them.

(b) Masters theses and doctoral dissertations resulting from such fundamental research endeavours.

(c) Public seminars delivered to general audiences either in person or through media.

2) Applied research/consultancy aligned with national interests.

This is an aspect which requires a two way communication. There are some sectors where there is already ample scope for advanced applied research that directly contributes to advancement of the country. Some examples are: defence, space, energy, environment, water resources, hazard mitigation, transportation, etc. On the other hand there might be areas in which the country has yet to move forward to provide opportunities for such alignments. In such areas, there needs to be an increased input from academics at the level of policy making and course setting for the country's overall technological advancement.

Specific ranking parameters:

(a) Sponsored research and consultancy projects and technical reports submitted to the funding agencies/organizations for the same. The consideration of technical reports as a ranking parameter becomes specially important in those projects where it would be preferable for the technical output to stay confidential in national interest.

(b) High quality journal and conference publications or patents resulting from work carried out on these projects wherever it is not against national interest to publish/present findings in open forums.

(c) Masters theses and doctoral dissertations resulting from work carried out on these projects.

3) Advanced applied research directed towards betterment of the global human community at large.

Specific ranking parameters:

(a) High quality journal and conference publications or patents resulting from such work.

(b) Masters theses and doctoral dissertations resulting from such work.

I think if we create such a reference frame, define a paradigm that gives us a rational basis to set our goals and benchmark our progress towards the same, and use the feedback received when we evaluate ourselves periodically to keep improving, we would be able to talk of university rankings in a sense that is meaningful and of purpose to us. These would be our own rankings based on logical arguments that make sense to us and we wouldn't have to necessarily keep worrying about how the rest of the world views us.

It is my submission that we need to be clear about where we want to get and just move. And who knows, we might just set an example in the process.

An Innovation Challenge

Here's an "innovation challenge" that I believe is very relevant:

To save crops in drought situations, one needs to get water to the affected areas. There are potential solutions to this problem and its perhaps more of a (non)implementation  issue today. So let's put that aside for now.

Consider the converse situation, however: Saving crops when there is excess or untimely rainfall or hailstones coming down. This, I believe, requires a technological innovation.

Can this be done? If so, how? What might be some of the short term options that can be implemented say from next year itself? And long term options that may perhaps take a few years to deploy but are better/more economical.

This might be something cool to work on, get it patented and see it through to deployment. This might also be one heck of a final year project for Civil Engineering students :)!

Note: I don't think the real challenge in the above scenario is deploying roofs/shelter in quick time. One can potentially think of solutions to that part. Rather, the challenge, in my opinion, lies in the following questions:

How would one take away all that water coming down from the skies and do so fast enough? Where would one take it? What would one do with it? Store it? Underground reservoirs? Build new lakes or ponds? Or direct it to already available large fresh water bodies such as rivers or lakes? If so, how?

From what it seems like to me, we are quite possibly talking about the need for a pretty large scale and a very very well thought out solution! Good luck :).

Om

Here's a way to calm your mind that you might want to try out:

Sit in a comfortable position. Cross legged is perhaps preferable as it is really stable. I suppose you could sit in a chair too, but ensure stability of posture. Maybe a chair with arms to keep you from swinging either way.

Ensure that your spine is as straight as possible and you are relaxed overall.

Close your eyes and take a few gentle deep breaths to start. Then take a slow deep breath in and exhale via a long drawn out Om sound (say about 2/3rd on O and 1/3rd on mmmm). Repeat this about 20 times. [A tip on counting Oms is included below.]

Try and do this as mindfully as you can. If your mind tries to prompt you to think about this or that just say "later buddy" and come back to your inbreath and Om.

After about 20 Oms just sit still for about ten to fifteen minutes and calmly observe your body and mind. If thoughts arise, just let them go. The trick is to not engage with them. Instead, just observe them, take a few deep breaths, let go and be silent and still. When you feel nice, peaceful and quietly consolidated, open your eyes, gently get up and take this peace into the rest of your day. See if the quality of your mind improves as your repeat this exercise a few times over a couple of days.

A tip on counting out the 20 Oms: The tip, base and the two lines on the inside of any finger/thumb makes it a count of 4. Just go across these 4 marks for all the five fingers of your hand as you chant out your Oms and you have counted out 20.

Notes:

1) Personally, I like to think of Om as a sound rather than a religious symbol and believe that chanting it harmonizes the body from the torso up to the head. That's the basis of me trying this out and I seem to have derived benefit from it. Hope it brings you some good too.

2) I recommend meditating on a light stomach. Before a meal is best. Or wait for an hour or so after a meal. One usually feels a bit lethargic and somewhat heavy just after eating and that may dampen the quality of meditation.

3) Do exercise a bit everyday and drink enough water to keep yourself hydrated. This in itself keeps the body purer and mind calmer.

4) The above will likely serve to give you a taste of meditation and a peaceful and blissful mind. However, for deeper spiritual realizations you will need to seek a Guru. If you set out on that search, my advice would be to look for perfection of character, manifestation of values such as selflessness, service and compassion, knowledge and spiritual depth. Stuff like gender, whether someone has a small or large following, performs miracles or not, is rich or poor, etc. is hardly relevant in my opinion. Here's a link to an article you might find useful if you seek a spiritual guide: Strike a Pause: A few notes on finding a spiritual guide (strike-a-pause.blogspot.com)

Enjoy :)

[I also invite you to read: Strike a Pause: Science And Spirituality: Is There A Conflict? (strike-a-pause.blogspot.com)]