CSIR chief suggests creation of a research university

New Delhi, Aug.21 (ANI): Suggesting an integrated approach to improve India's higher education standards, the Director General of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Professor Samir Brahmachari, said the country urgently req1uired a research university.

Speaking at a panel discussion on "India's Leadership in Manufacturing: Role of Engineering Education" at Observer Research Foundation today, Professor Brahmachari stressed the need for quality education, citing the instances of unemployability of many engineering graduates when there is also a demand for good engineers.

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Professor V.S. Ramamurthy, the Chairman of Board of Directors of IIT, Delhi, underlined the need for creating enough market for post graduates and PhD holders.

He also warned against under-recruiting PhD holders, saying it would badly affect the education environment.

"The problem in India is students get only degrees and no skills," he remarked.

Professor P.B. Sharma, Director of Delhi College of Engineering, called for a change in the mindset to reengineer the engineering education. escribing DCE as the mother of all IITs, Sharma underlined the need to make science and engineering the twin towers.

Saying merely increasing colleges would not do, the educationists and industry experts suggested creating a National Faculty Programme to make available enough qualified and committed faculty.

All of them agreed that there was need to provide more autonomy to higher education institutions. They said tight control by the government and their interference was badly affecting the functioning of even world class institutions.

Professor K.L. Chopra, Emeritus Professor, IIT-Delhi and former Director of IIT-Kharagpur even said that IITs are being destroyed now because of government inference.

There was also a suggestion to provide non-practising allowance to engineers and scientists, like such an allowance to medical faculty in institutions like All India Medical Sciences.

Rajeev Katyal, Director, Education of Microsoft Corporation, suggested sufficient interface between the industry and educational institutions to upgrade syllabus and provide the right kind of training required by the industry.

The panelists included Professor P.N. Srivastav, Chairman, National Board of Accreditation for Engineering and Technology, Professor Ravi Zutshi of Long Island University and Advisor to Department of Science and Technology, Dr. D.R. Somasekhar, Director, Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology, Mr. Anjan Das, Head of Technology and IPR Division, CII and others.

The discussion was based on the ORF report on "India's Leadership in Manufacturing: Role of Engineering Education", authored by IIT-Bombay professor Rangan Banerjee. He made a presentation on the salient features and key recommendations of the report. (ANI)