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The
two acronyms NISc and IISER stand here for
National Institute of Science and Indian
Institute of Science for Education and Research,
respectively, with modality that former became a
history on paper within our political arena and
later is present and a reality. Our whole nation
is depleted of the Center of Excellence (COE) in
science. Naturally, human resources with
excellent scientific abilities are in minority
but needed in majority to provide impetus to
support up hill journey of our changing economy
and society. Absence or any weakness in
supporting scientific thrust will have adverse
effect on the development of knowledge supported
economy and society. The last NDA led central
government came to realize this fact with
serious plan to improve scientific caliber of
the country. India needs scientists for which
COEs are required to provide training of
sciences to youngsters. But most of the young
brains are reluctant to choose basic sciences as
their career due to unsecured future. This
matter of national concern was pointed by the
former Hon'ble Minister for Human Resource
Development, Professor Murli Manohar Joshi on
the occasion of the golden Jubilee function of
UGC. His observation was as under: "The
undergraduate education in pure sciences is a
matter of serious concern. We are going to face
shortage of good researchers in a few years time
particularly in our premier research institutes
in the field of Atomic Energy, Space,
Bio-technology, Energy, Oil exploration,
Communication and so on. We will have to focus
at 10+2 level and "catch them young" for
integrated 5 years teaching programme with a
possibility of exit after three years".
The NDA led government announced to open four
National Institutes of Science across (East: At
Bhubaneswar in the proximity of Utkal
University, West: At Pune in the proximity of
University of Pune, North: At Allahabad in the
proximity of Allahabad University, South: At
Chennai in the proximity of Anna University) the
country. However, at none of these places, NISc
came into existence and in between central
government was changed. The present UPA led
central government is silent over the issue of
NISc, however, has announced to open similar
institutes named as IISER at Kolkata, Pune,
Kanpur and Chandigarh. It seems matter of NISc
is gone. It is also not known if the IISER is
modification or replacement of NISc but aims and
objectives of both types of institutes are
similar. Till today IISERs have been brought
into functional existence at Kolkata and Pune
and they have announced for admission in the
first session starting from August, 2006.
Establishment of IISER can be taken as a unique
step to safeguard declining science education in
the country. Some of the important and special
features of IISER can be observed as under
I. IISER will be an autonomous institute under
the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD),
Government of India. It will serve as research
universities of the highest caliber and will
provide teaching as well as research training of
excellent quality in the basic science subjects.
II. IISER will offer 5-years integrated Masters
and post-bachelors and post-Masters Ph.D.
programs. Beside this doors for the integrated
programs will be open for all those graduating
in science from different universities. The
integrated programme will be flexible and
student can leave this taking master degree
after four years if not willing to do doctoral
programme. Also, an M.Sc. degree holder from
outside can get entry into PhD programme of the
IISER. There will be options and opportunities
for the post-doctoral and research positions.
Students will get scholarship on the basis of
merit.
III. IISER will provide multidisciplinary
science education and specialization.
Traditional borders will be highly flexible.
Thus curriculum of IISER will be
multidisciplinary.
IV. The academic programmes will be semesterized
with options for specialization in multiple
disciplines of basic sciences based on a
flexible credit system.
V. Apart from classroom instructions, IISER will
equip students with skills of other areas such
as scientific inquiry, problem solving,
communication skills, computational sciences,
electronics and instrumentation, workshop and
glass blowing practices. IISER will be an
institute of international standards and provide
research opportunities in the frontier areas.
VI. The full fledged IISER will accommodate more
than 2,000 students in integrated master,
doctoral and post doctoral programme, with about
200 excellent faculty members.
VII. Obviously, this new initiative of central
government to popularize and pave science
education and research will produce excellent
scientific manpower thought the country and lead
to development of superlative infrastructure,
industry and other related developments in the
native state of institution.
One of the most important features of the course
pattern of IISER is that it will be
multi-disciplinary in nature. Multi-disciplinary
education in science will be helpful in
developing flexible cognitive style and will
train students for wide range of potential, for
gaining excellence in multiple fields. It has
been seen that the process of getting
specialization becomes faster after adequate
multidisciplinary training. This will develop
specialization in students at higher levels of
study or at work place. Such difference from
traditional science education will increase
possibility of student motivation and aptitude.
It is like making Jack of all trades and master
of many trades. Sometimes becoming jack of all
trades is better than mastering one because it
makes you master of integration, association,
and conceptualization which bring distinctive
specialization in future. If we see the list of
polymaths e.g. Leonardo da Vinci, who was
engineer, physician, painter, inventor,
musician, astrologer, alchemist and architect,
it is very easy for one to imbue that they were
mastering many disciplines, capable in
integrating knowledge of different trades and
had shown unique convergence with diverging
skills .
Fortunately, land of Bihar has also given many
polymaths among which name of Chanakya is well
known, but this land has been kept blanked with
IISER, a setup with hope to produce pundits of
sciences.
Bihar needs NISc or IISER
Bihar is a developing state and its development
shares a great meaning with the developed India.
Bihar shares about 8.9 % of the total Indian
population, however, it lacks in centers for
training human resources. In the name of central
educational institute it has an NIT at Patna
which is not newly established but is
modification of a pre-exiting state;
government-run engineering college. We may hope
that NIT Patna will establish itself as a COE in
the area of engineering in the coming years.
However, for science subjects Bihar has nothing
like national institutes except different
departments of sciences with state-run
universities. These departments are
conspicuousness for lacking infrastructure,
research funds, and skilled trainers. I do not
like to blame existing faculties but mean to say
that sharpness of a sword goes if it is put
permanently in its case.
How existence of IISER in local can be
beneficial can be imbued from course patterns
offered by it. Its door will also be open for
students graduating / mastering in science from
other universities. I am sure that establishment
of such institute will increase percentage of
students from Bihar seeking higher education in
science. As per India Science Report, less than
0.6% (not exactly mentioned and may be somewhere
below this); Bihari students migrate to other
states for taking science education at higher
level. This is so because there is imbalance in
distribution of such institutes. Also, getting
higher education outside is costlier and every
aspirant cannot afford it despite his/her will
to continue higher education in science. Such
migration of student also leads to the
development of infrastructure to states where
they study. The absence of central institutes
has made Bihar the least central fund fetching
state for the technical education. From [2], it
is amazing to know that while Central Government
spends Rs. 100 per person in Delhi, it spends
Rs. 59.5190 in Uttaranchal, Rs. 59.2818 in
Arunachal Pradesh, Rs. 43.8686 in Assam,
Rs.19.0718 in Himachal Pradesh, Rs. 15.8650 in
West Bengal, Rs.14.1825 in Karnataka, Rs.10.0440
in Tamil Nadu, Rs.9.6488 in Maharashtra,
Rs.9.6432 in Uttar Pradesh, Rs.9.1463 in
Jharkhand, Rs.9.0617 in Andhra Pradesh, Rs.
8.1865 in J&K, Rs.7.5542 in Punjab, Rs. 4.81 in
Haryana, Rs. 4.46 in Kerala, Rs. 4.17 in
Chhattisgarh, Rs. 2.7 in Gujarat, Rs.2,29 in
Orissa,Rs.1.46 in Rajsthan,Rs.1.05 in Bihar
(Data 2005-2006) for the technical education.
Such imbalance in distribution of Central funds
for education cannot be described as good sign
for the development and integrity of India.
Unfortunately, such imbalances have been totally
uncared while establishing new institutes like
IISER. On the basis of this Bihar is one of the
most suitable states for opening an IISER.
The opening of IISER or similar institutes in
Bihar will also be beneficial for the local
universities. Faculty and students of local
universities will get chance to have interaction
with scholars, researchers, for participation in
quality improvement programs, to know ongoing
researches in the frontier areas. This all will
create a new will and zeal that will not only
pave broken links of science education and
research but also motivates students for
pursuing higher studies in science and making it
as their profession. One can hope that IISER
will play pivotal role in establishing strong
relationship with the neighboring universities
and other educational institutes to share
faculty, research, development and
infrastructure to achieve global level
excellence in the field of science education and
research.
Unfortunately, no serious steps have been taken
so far to bring an IISER in Bihar. It will be
not out of place to mention that like everything
science education and establishment of
institution for it is a politicized. Claiming
with all our plus points will not bring IISER,
if political leaders from our state do not take
interest. Establishment of IISER will be a
political decision, because many states are in
the race for it with academic environment better
than ours. However, denial to give IISER to
Bihar on the basis of ill conditions of the
existing educational system is a step to further
widen regional imbalances and deliberately
debarring Bihar to develop. I have been raising
this issue from 2004. I become very hopeful
about my demand when hon'ble president stressed
need of IISER for Bihar while he was addressing
joint session of our legislators in March, 2006.
It's a new hope. Also when I talked, through
BBC, a few months before with hon'ble union
minister for S&T, he was also in favour of
opening an IISER in Bihar. Appreciating my
efforts, our BiharBrains (details can be seen at
www.biharbrains.org), has formed recently a
core-committee to make the demand emphatic and
successful. I am also one of the members of the
committee and it is in the process of making
final report, however to make our attempts
successful close cooperation of all
intellectuals of Bihar is needed. One of the
important steps in this direction happened when
I met hon'ble union minister Sri Ram Vilas
Paswan for the same in July 2006, in Tokyo. He
promised to bring an IISER in Bihar. We hope our
government and hon'ble ministers in the central
government, MPs and all other higher authorities
will show their serious concerns in bringing an
IISER for Bihar.
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