Rising STEM Research Demands Revitalised Education

Syllabus: GS3/ Science and Technology

Context

• The majority graduates from Higher educational institutions in India, lack essential industry-ready skills, highlighting a critical skill gap.

About

• STEM research refers to the study and development of advancements in four core areas: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. 
• It focuses on solving complex problems, driving innovation, and contributing to scientific knowledge across a range of high-impact fields.

Challenges in STEM Research in India

• Skill Gap: Graduates from many Indian higher education institutions lack essential industry-ready skills. This gap makes it challenging for industries to find skilled professionals, impacting economic growth.
• Faculty Shortages: Teaching institutions are already facing faculty shortages, which will worsen if enrollment issues persist.
• Focus on Rankings over Quality: Emphasis on research output for rankings pushes faculty toward producing papers and patents, often prioritizing quantity over quality. This focus diverts resources from improving teaching quality.
• Predatory Research Outlets: The presence of predatory conferences and publications diverts attention from genuine research, undermining the credibility and quality of research output.

Step required for improvement

• Separate Ranking Systems: Teaching institutions should be ranked based on their teaching quality, while research output should not heavily influence rankings for institutions primarily focused on teaching.
• Enhanced Focus on Pedagogy: Faculty in teaching institutions should prioritize pedagogy over research initially, allowing the education quality to improve and later benefiting research outcomes.
• Faculty Development Programs: Greater emphasis on faculty development, mentorship, and updated courses, both online and offline, to improve teaching quality.
• Collaboration with Research Institutions: Joint efforts between teaching and research institutions to share best practices in pedagogy can strengthen the quality of teaching.
• Dedicated Teaching Track: Creating a dedicated teaching track within academic hierarchies can incentivize teachers to focus on pedagogy. Faculty can progress based on teaching skills rather than research output alone.

Steps taken by Indian Government

• National Education Policy (NEP): NEP promotes quality education and aims to bridge the skill gap in the country. It encourages a balance between research and teaching quality.
• Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF): ANRF supports research and aims to foster collaborations between institutions, supporting the development of quality research and teaching standards.
• Impacting Research Innovation & Technology (IMPRINT): This initiative aims at providing solutions to the most relevant engineering challenges and translating knowledge into viable technology in 10 selected technology domains.
• Research parks at IIT Delhi, IIT Guwahati, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Kanpur, IIT Chennai, have been established which provide an interface between entrepreneurship and Industry to establish their R&D units in collaboration with students & faculty members of the IITs.

Concluding remarks

• Revitalizing the country’s teaching institutions is critical to producing a larger, higher-quality talent pool, capable of driving innovative research and scientific discoveries.
• By prioritizing pedagogical excellence, creating dedicated teaching tracks, and fostering collaboration between teaching and research institutions, India can cultivate an educational ecosystem where quality teaching and impactful research reinforce each other.

Source: TH