Need of Research

IT is not surprising if the All-India Higher Education Survey for 2010-2011 says that very few students in India are interested in pursuing research. Only 0.34 per cent of the students enrolled for higher education in educational institutions in India are doing either PhD or MPhil.

The number of research scholars has been declining almost every year. The figure was 0.44 per cent in 2009. This is a very depressing scenario as India cannot aspire to play a leadership role at the global level unless it promotes research in a big way. We need to have a culture of research to become a world leader. This is possible when acquiring a PhD or MPhil degree becomes the most attractive qualification for getting high-paying jobs.

Addressing the gathering at the 99th Indian Science Congress in January this year, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh admitted that China was far ahead of India in the area of scientific research. China spends 1.42 per cent of its GDP on research and development whereas the figure was just 0.9 per cent in India. The US, global leader in research and development, has allocated 2.6 per cent for promoting research. The superpower is yet not satisfied as it has targeted to raise it to 3 per cent. Imagine the amount of money that will be available for research if the US finally spares 3 per cent of its GDP for this purpose.

It is not only the public sector which spends liberally on research in the US. The private sector too is involved in it in a big way. That is why most researches today take place in the US. In India, whatever little research is done is because of the efforts of the public sector through the labs of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. That is why there are very few job avenues available in India to PhDs. There are also not enough funds and facilities for doing quality research. Lack of interest in research is affecting teaching also in higher educational institutions. The situation must change before the country is left far behind.