Friday, April 13, 2012

Indian Science Policy

An interesting article on Indian Science Policy.

It is not enough for the prime minister to resort to platitudes by saying (as in his recent speech) that “things are changing but we cannot be satisfied with what has been achieved”, or that we should make “scientific output more relevant”. He and his advisers must ask themselves if there are underlying causes for this lack of satisfaction and relevance. Until then, no amount of bankrolling, populism, bureaucrat bashing or whistle-stop tours by prominent Western scientists will help.


 In this part of the world, age is blindly equated with wisdom, and youth with immaturity. This facilitates the continuance of the status quo. Geriatric individuals with administrative and political clout reinforce their positions so well that we are unable to eject them. So we hail scientists in their eighties, film actors in their seventies and cricketers in their forties.


These variants of corruption — along with general indifference, absence of incisive introspection, old-boys' networks, administrative vindictiveness, vagaries in research funding and studied silences — conspire to create an atmosphere that lacks innovation and creativity. 


4 comments:

Anonymous said...

"In this part of the world, age is blindly equated with wisdom, and youth with immaturity"....

Very True.

Prof. TA

KRK said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ankur Kulkarni said...

We are going through some unique times. Every week there is a good, critical article discussing Indian science/universities. I hope it at least bursts this "science/technology superpower" bubble and something good comes out of it.

Anonymous said...

how can research work be shifted from the government organisations(like IIX) into private hands? atleast for the engg disciplines?

any ideas?? i feel India needs a free market revolution in research. It needs to look beyond these 'premier' institutions