The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
To check brain drain, govt promises to raise quality of higher education
AMID CONCERNS over brain drain, the government said Tuesday it is taking steps to check the problem besides improving the quality of higher education in the country.
The government is also coming up with plans to reform the engineering sector, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said in Lok Sabha while replying to a debate on a bill that grants the status of national importance to the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh) and Berhampur (Odisha).
Lok Sabha passed the National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research (Second Amendment) Bill, 2016, amending a 2007 Act.
Members from various parties expressed concern over brain drain, the reducing quality of higher education, and lack of funds to educational institutes upgraded to the status of elite institutes.
Acknowledging brain drain is a problem, Javadekar said 500 top students of the country are being offered Rs 75,000 as scholarship under PM Scholarship Scheme. “This will put a check on brain drain and help the country in preserving its talent... the best of the best brains to be brought in either for employment or for research.”
He said many colleges are producing engineers who are not employable as they lack skills. Around 400 engineering colleges were closed down as they were not good, he said, adding, “The bad will go but the good will remain in the system.”
The minister acknowledged that the quality of education in the country is not up to the mark. “The ranking of institutes will improve with improvement in quality.”
To improve the quality of education, the minister said, a number of professors from overseas had been invited to India; this year, around 600 professors from abroad are likely to visit. “Exchange of professors, exchange of academics, also helps in improving our ranking all over the world because the perception about Indian institutes improves as they have first-hand experience,” Javadekar said.
Participating in the debate, Sushmita Deb (Congress) said before according IISER the a higher status, the government should address the issue of connectivity to Berhampur, which does not have an airport.
Ramesh Pokhriyal “Nishank” (BJP) said science and research play an important role in development of any country. The government is promoting research and innovation by setting up new institutes, he said.
P K Biju (CPM) said merely upgrading institutes to the status of elite institutes would not improve quality unless the government provides adequate funds. Biju also pointed out that premier institutes get almost 90 per cent of the funds while the state institutes, many of which are better than the elite ones, are not given adequate financial support.