NAGPUR: All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) chairman SS Mantha on Saturday lamented that universities have become exam conducting centres and lost their focus on research activities. "The universities have lost focus and harps successfully conducting examinations involving over five lakh students like an achievement," he said while apologizing to the present and former vice chancellors who were seated on the dais.
His critical remarks came while speaking in an international conference organized by Central India Group of Institutions where a galaxy of dignitaries and educationists were present. They included -Nagpur University vice chancellor Vilas Sapkal, former VC SN Pathan, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Technical University VC Raju Mankar (Former LIT director), and AICC secretary Anees Ahmed.
The AICTE chief further stated that lot of interdisciplinary research can happen in traditional universities as they have courses like arts, science and commerce under one roof. "In fact these universities are best places to promote research and VCs have big roles to play," he remarked.
A VJTI, Mumbai, graduate, Mantha lamented that students are no longer attracted to basic sciences and as a result seats lie vacant in many leading institutions. "India's education sector is witnessing skewed growth and in future we will not get good researchers in basic or applied sciences. If you don't promote basic sciences, there will be no basic research," he said, adding that thrust must be given on fundamental research and later on inter/multidisciplinary research.
"People talk about creation of smaller universities as officials of big ones like Mumbai and Pune don't see eye-to-eye. But I believe a lot more should happen on the research field within universities," Mantha, added.
The AICTE chief who was credited with bringing radical changes in the engineering education system said research was a philosophy which didn't come automatically. "It's something that needs to be practised over the years. Additionally, it needs lot of funds along with infrastructure and facilities. The renowned research institutions in the US and UK were established about 150 years back and they all started from fundamental research."
Expressing concern over India's Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER), he stated that currently it was negligible as compared to developed countries. "There are calls for not granting new colleges. But if large number of students who take a drop from class X or XII decide to study further, all the existing colleges would fall short for accommodating them. Unfortunately, the financial problem is barring these students from pursuing further education and industry must come forward to help them," Mantha hoped.
Deliberating on all-India common engineering test, he said it was a good move and would save a lot of precious money and time of the students like CMAT which they introduced from this year. "The IITs also welcomed the move but their only issue was taking board's 40% marks into consideration during admission. But such issues are being sorted out," he informed.
Mantha speak
* In 2008-09, 221 million appeared for Std X exam and 11 million cleared it
* 50% of them dropped as only 16 million appeared for Std XII and 8 million passed
* Of them 4.5 lakh went to basic sciences, 5 lakh in commerce and 10 lakh in arts
* 13 lakh went for distance learning mode while 6 lakh opted for vocational education
* But alarmingly, majority of candidates took a drop after Std X or XII
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