Hi...Friends, This blog is related to Educational Research or Teaching.

I have observed many times we did not have a quality structure for Teaching and Research. In my previous blog, You can see how our educational system works. My main focus is on Teaching and Research because it will create a bridge between knowledge and Inventions. Given the fact that rankings by MHRD^'s NIRF (National Institutional ranking framework) and other international accreditation agencies such as AACSB (Association to advance collegiate schools of business), AMBA (Association of MBAs), and EQUIS (EFMD quality improvement system ) emphasize research, the focus of Indian education institutes is also shifting to research. Until recently, research was synonymous with basic sciences and technology, but today educational institutions are facing a dilemma whether to focus on research, teaching, or both. In the race to achieve a good ranking, everyone has joined the bandwagon to be a research institute. But are they really worthy??

Four pillars of knowledge

in an academic institute includes teaching, research, training, and consultancy, but in India to date, teaching was the only important criterion. India is home to thousands of colleges, universities, including the IITs, IIMs, and other specialized institutes such as IISc, ISI, etc; sadly, none of these institutes makes it to the top 200 international university rankings. This highlights the loopholes in our higher education system and points to the lack of focus on research. Our mindset of getting a high package or a good job is all about Indian mentality. We do not want to fight. One of my best friends who has a background in Physics and pursuing his Ph.D. from the USA, sometimes feels that what is the future he can get after this?? This is the main reason people do not want to do research, they want future security and money obviously.

Now, most Indian institutes have started focusing on research. Professors and teachers are now forced to devote time to researching instead of teaching. This is yet another reason that several fake journals have emerged. UGC released a list of fake journals recently, but the trend is still on the rise.

Several teachers are now publishing papers that do not add to the body of knowledge. They publish papers to get promotions, as preference is given to candidates who boast of published books and papers in their CVs. During the interviews, teachers are never questioned on their contribution to help students achieve their academic goals through their research. Earlier, the young professors were expected to only focus on teaching in the first five years, and eventually turn to research. But the scene has changed as the young professors now are engaged in research while the older professors are involved in academic administration.

Many institutions are developing a research culture by introducing monetary incentives. They are faced with the question of whether or not to use taxpayer^'s money and the fees received from students to fund research activities. The incentive for publishing in an A-category journal is Rs 15 lakh which is almost equal to the starting salary of an assistant professor. Institutions are still trying to find convincing arguments to justify the distribution of funds, to promote research, and obtain a good ranking.

In the absence of a strong team of professors, several institutions are forced to depend on visiting professors/guest lecturers. Needless to add that these professors have little interest in the overall development and academic excellence of the students. The over-emphasis on publications has already forced institutions to recruit researchers who publish papers rather than teachers who teach.

Research work published in top-rated journals in social sciences is mere decoration, which adds no value to either the practitioners or the industry. This is unlike western countries, where a majority of research is funded by the industry. Thus, most Indian researchers spend the resources and time on completing something that is neither innovative nor has any utility.

Applied research can be incentivized to promote and create a support system for the industry which, in turn, will give rise to innovation, patenting, production, and prosperity institutions need to develop a new approach to sustain both teaching and research. A good teacher can set an example when he has complete knowledge of the topic/subject. By Researching as well as teaching he can conquer the world. Both are related to each other but the point is how can we understand things.

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