Recently Union Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh slammed the faculty and research quality of IITs and IIMs. He said that the excellence of these institutes is because of their students and not the teaching staff. (See the article here.)
Any MBA student will tell you of their grueling work schedule. I had a fair share of the experience during M.Sc. Chemistry at IIT Bombay long ago in 2001-2003. Every semester we gave two sets of exams - one in the middle and the other at the end. Interspersed between these would be quizzes and written assignments for every subject. In the senior year in preparation for the research life ahead the professors as part of their courses had us looking through literature in journals, write reports on the findings and even make presentations.
Clearly then along with the students, the faculty also have their work cut out and need to do more than simply using the chalk and blackboard in order to maintain standards. Doing good research requires you to keep abreast with the latest developments in your field, to be quick enough to ride on the tide and to build a solid niche for your work amidst that.
Maintaining a balance between being a good teacher and a quality researcher becomes a matter of being passionate about what you do and managing it well. Discussing new findings appearing in journals with students and colleagues enables to identify the possibilities therein for you. Engaging the senior students in mentoring the younger lot can help in taking some of the load off.
We now have a total of 16 IITs and in addition there are six IISERs. Until a year back some of the professors from University of Pune and scientists from NCL were roped in for taking classes at IISER, Pune besides performing their regular duties. Due to shortage of competent faculty the existing staff has to perhaps bite more than they can chew. There is a need to bring in more hands for the job.
Any MBA student will tell you of their grueling work schedule. I had a fair share of the experience during M.Sc. Chemistry at IIT Bombay long ago in 2001-2003. Every semester we gave two sets of exams - one in the middle and the other at the end. Interspersed between these would be quizzes and written assignments for every subject. In the senior year in preparation for the research life ahead the professors as part of their courses had us looking through literature in journals, write reports on the findings and even make presentations.
Clearly then along with the students, the faculty also have their work cut out and need to do more than simply using the chalk and blackboard in order to maintain standards. Doing good research requires you to keep abreast with the latest developments in your field, to be quick enough to ride on the tide and to build a solid niche for your work amidst that.
Maintaining a balance between being a good teacher and a quality researcher becomes a matter of being passionate about what you do and managing it well. Discussing new findings appearing in journals with students and colleagues enables to identify the possibilities therein for you. Engaging the senior students in mentoring the younger lot can help in taking some of the load off.
We now have a total of 16 IITs and in addition there are six IISERs. Until a year back some of the professors from University of Pune and scientists from NCL were roped in for taking classes at IISER, Pune besides performing their regular duties. Due to shortage of competent faculty the existing staff has to perhaps bite more than they can chew. There is a need to bring in more hands for the job.
Science in India still suffers at the behest of brain drain. Out of the 20 M.Sc. Chemistry students in my class 18 went to either US or Germany to do their Ph.D. and then continued to stay on longer for pursuing a post-doc. I know of only one of them to have returned recently to IIT Bombay as an Assistant Professor.
I feel the general perception that doing science and making money do not go together should be changed. Eyebrows should not be raised when professors call for higher pay scales. Giving encouragement, incentives and rewards wherever due would make the demanding job lucrative and go a long way in luring back more and more lost talent.
DPS Mathura Road where I schooled which had started off in tents eventually became one of the largest schools in Delhi where you had classes from Nursery to XII and each class having 6-9 sections. This was possible only because the architects were able to envision the great future despite the humble beginnings. The huge Angstrom Laboratory where I am currently working is relatively new and first opened its doors a few years back only. Similarly our newer universities and institutes should be built while keeping the imminent progress in mind. The older ones should be timely upgraded and an improvement in the working conditions should be brought about.
As much as world class students deserve world class professors, the world class professors need world class facilities to motivate them to do better still.
I feel the general perception that doing science and making money do not go together should be changed. Eyebrows should not be raised when professors call for higher pay scales. Giving encouragement, incentives and rewards wherever due would make the demanding job lucrative and go a long way in luring back more and more lost talent.
DPS Mathura Road where I schooled which had started off in tents eventually became one of the largest schools in Delhi where you had classes from Nursery to XII and each class having 6-9 sections. This was possible only because the architects were able to envision the great future despite the humble beginnings. The huge Angstrom Laboratory where I am currently working is relatively new and first opened its doors a few years back only. Similarly our newer universities and institutes should be built while keeping the imminent progress in mind. The older ones should be timely upgraded and an improvement in the working conditions should be brought about.
As much as world class students deserve world class professors, the world class professors need world class facilities to motivate them to do better still.
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PS: What is your take? Are our professors as bad as the Minister thinks?
9 comments:
Well-written...The problem is that we are trying to become world class selectively...airports, sports venues, IITs and so on...Eventually the whole country will become world class or even better than the rest of the world!!
Are they still using Chalk and Blackboard in IITs? :) Long way to go...
We talk about world class, when our country is still suffering from high-levels of corruption, poverty and hunger. What we need is a revolution. What we need is an mental and spiritual cleansing.
In all fairness I have recounted the scene way back in 2001-2003.
The norm of using powerpoint presentations on a daily basis was just catching up. We did have a few courses like Biophysical Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry which were taught exclusively in this format as they involved a lot of diagrams.
In contrast you cannot do without a blackboard wherever there are mechanisms, derivations and equations. These were aplenty in Quantum Chemistry and Statistical Mechanics.
You can still have a transparent sheet with a projector to write on it. You can easily use this for derivation and problem solving. I don't see a point where Black board and chalk is necessary.Chalk again produces dust. Some people are allergic to it.
I wish there were no demarcations.. well i mean in the actual body of text of the blog and the comments. Only then, one would know, how a story of its kind which has got the country's attention, has actually come down to mere Chalk Dust :p
Jokes apart, well written. But with all due respect to the faculty and the students alike, just one simple question... when the concept of IITs started, were we not lacking in choices... the good and the best of both the guru and shishya worlds had to come & create a niche. Today, it sells as another Brand - but sadly only for students. Trust me, you survey the students at any IIT/ IIM, 95% plus would want yet another brand to be associated with them, either in the corporate world, or in the academia... its more like, 'Ok...been there, done that' or in a slangish connotation, Slam Bam, Thank You mam ! Next please.
1. IITs are not the best research institutes in the country:
Both in terms of quantity and quality, there are many institutes in
India which are doing far better research-wise.
2. The intake of students at IITs makes things easier:
It is a fact that students entering IITs are really very good. The
success of an institute is judged by what they do with the talent they
have available. Its easy to lament about lack of facilities. What is
surprising is among the IITs there is a quite a gap in the quality of
education. Now, I don't think governments may different IITs vastly
different amounts of money. So, it does mean that some IITs or
specifically, some departments at some IITs are doing things right.
3. Personal experience:
At IIT Delhi, if you want to take an NMR, you are at the mercy of the
technician in charge. And your equation with him. I have, at times,
spent half a day in taking a 10 min proton NMR. At IISc, students run
their own NMRs and multiple reactions (can't emphasise this enough)
get done and monitored in a day.
Also, the conduct of the professors is something I am witness to.
There is a world of difference between the politics and the egos of
the professors at Chemistry, IITD and at other institutions. Such
things are a part of every institution, but I haven't seen them
hampering student's progress or sapping their morale/enthusiasm.
4. Work load of the professors:
The work load is high, but haven't some professors found a way around
that? Also, IITs could accept then accept the fact that they are a
very good teaching institution and improvements in research are
required.
Hope I haven't been overly critical above. Sometimes in a
discussion/debate its easy to go too far. Sorry if I did!
The post was good, like many others!
Best,
Nilesh.
@Hitesh: Firstly welcome back to my blog.
That was a good pun. :)
It is true that the IITs were started for a reason. They did manage to raise the bar. Irrespective of Jairam Ramesh's comments lakhs will continue to compete in the JEE.
But like you said today IITs have become a brand name. For most its about getting the tag. Once secured they are not concerned with anything more. In my opinion such attitude diminishes the value of these institutes.
Hi Nilesh! Thank you for taking the time for commenting at such length.
Let me say first I have written this post really from the perspective of a professor (who may be trying hard but not succeeding). As a student I had my own axe to grind but I have kept that aside.
Next I will try to address a few of the points you have raised.
1. The whole debate started with the premise that IITs are not producing good and enough research. I don't think I have questioned that. I have tried to decipher why it is so and what can possibly be done to improve it.
2. Indeed the students entering IITs are excellent. Having good facilities is as important for them as for the professors. Compare working in a dingy lab to that which is well equipped and maitained in good condition. Compare having 15 students stuffed in one big room to them having their own space.
Not just in an IIT but in any school or college you may find one department outshining the other. Only when the standard of teaching is on par will all do well. A particular institute may be able to attract good staff for a subject and not for another. This makes all the difference in a well oiled functioning of a department.
3. I empathize with your not so good personal experience. I feel ego clashes become even more apparant in a university like environment where departments are small. Everything is in your face. The only solution for this is to have a Head who is unbiased and wise. Otherwise it is hard to escape it and remain unaffected.
This makes it all the more important to have good spread out facilities and appoint a faculty which is enthusiastic and passionate about its job.
4. Yes, some professors do manage to balance teaching with research. But it doesn't come easily to all. Often you will find them preferring one over the other and accordingly succeeding at one aspect only. In this scenario an increase in faculty is essential to ease off the work load and pressure.
I hope you find my views satisfying. It was good to read yours.
Keep visiting my blog.
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