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Manifesto for Indias Future

An appeal to the Honourable Prime Minister of India


by scientists, educationists and other concerned citizens

The Indian system of education and research in science and technology is at a


crossroads in some ways, at a point of crisis. Expectations and aspirations of a
nation of 1.25 billion people, especially its children and youth, are rising like never
before. There is growing realisation among all sections of society that quality
education is the key that unlocks the door of opportunities for the new
generation. Yet, the countrys education system is in no position to meet this
rising tide of demand for quality education. Far too many young dreams are dying
at the bottlenecks created by a rigid and unaccountable bureaucratic leadership
that lacks vision and competence. Far too many promises are getting shattered
by a system that is unwilling to empower the large number of educationists who
have the requisite vision and competence.
Our country prides itself in having many educational and research institutions of
excellence, but their number is far too small in comparison to our nations
enormous needs, for the present and the future. Indias education system has
been described as a few pearls in a sea of mediocrity. Only a privileged few, the
Haves, are benefiting from access to quality education, including access to
expensive educational institutions abroad. The rest are forced to make do with
whatever is available, to their massive disappointment. The NATIONAL
KNOWLEDGE COMMISSION commented candidly in 2007: There is a
quiet CRISIS in higher education in India that runs deep. There is no reason to
believe that the situation has since changed for the better.
The inability of a large section of the formal education system to meet the
expectations of Young India has created many distortions and anomalies that are
there for all to see. A few examples should suffice:
(1) With all the efforts made hitherto, we do not have a single major educational
institution comparable to the best in the world.
(2) The coaching classes for entrance to IITs are making more money than the
central governments combined budget for all IITs.

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(3) Over 2 lakh mostly well-to-do young Indians are seeking admission in foreign
universities and institutions, spending $5.9 billion each year, which is double
the Indian Governments budget on higher education!
(4) A staggering 50-75 percent engineering graduates and graduates from other
streams are not employable. There is evidence of poor learning outcomes,
especially in mathematics and sciences, in a majority of Indian schools.
(5) State governments are forcing the fees in most science colleges to be kept
very low for all students in the name of affordability, so much so that these
colleges do not have the money to maintain good laboratories and libraries,
essential for quality education. Yet many students spend more on mobile
phones, movies, clothes, shoes and restaurants than on college fees.
The crisis is also visible in Indias large establishment for scientific and
technological research. We are living in an age in which the world is being
decisively reshaped by the tsunamic advances in science and technology. In many
ways India too is being transformed by the power of modern science and
technology. Yet, Indias contribution to the global fund of scientific knowledge
and technological innovations is far less than our potential. Our country is not
producing enough scientific research and its relevant applications to solve the
gigantic challenges we face in all areas of socio-economic development, national
security and governance. This is primarily due to the uneven quality of science
education, compounded by the bureaucratic governance of the education and
research eco-system in the country.
The Indian science establishment was given a head-start after Independence by
the vision of our first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and many others. It
has shown time and again that given adequate funding and encouragement, it can
deliver on stated goals in ways that are the envy of the world. ISROs Mangalyaan
and the GSLV III missions are two recent examples of such achievements. The time
has come now for India to aspire to a position of global leadership in science and
technology. This can only happen if we build a culture of excellence and lifelong
learning among students and teachers in schools, colleges, universities and
research institutions so as to create a world-class knowledge base in science,
technology and innovation. This is absolutely critical for fulfilment of the
governments promise of Sabka Vikas (Development of All).
There are several non-military threats to Indian security: lack of clean drinking
water, a fast degrading environment, lack of education and adequate healthcare
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for its citizens among many others, and we need science and technology to
mitigate these threats. The situation is grave. However, despair is not an option
and doing nothing is also not an option. We have therefore consulted with
hundreds of members of the academic community to bring out this Agenda for
Action, that can help rejuvenate our education system, especially in the areas of
science and technology.
We depend on our Honourable Prime Minister to give serious consideration to the
specific goals mentioned in this Agenda for Action. Attainment of these goals
requires a reforms agenda, backed by unwavering political will, with the following
overarching principles:
1) Maximise policy and funding support to higher education in general, and S&T
education and research in particular, with thorough-going governance
reforms that eliminate political and bureaucratic interference.
2) Empower dedicated domain experts at all good educational and research
institutions, with full and genuine autonomy combined with accountability, so
that they can unleash their creativity and achieve super-ambitious goals and
targets.
3) Encourage synergy between the financial, physical and human resources of
the central/state governments, business entities and civil society
organisations to contribute to these goals.
4) Set up a review mechanism, where peers could take periodic stock of the
performance of Government funded Central/State institutions. This could also
provide an opportunity for bringing transparency and accountability
regarding the performance of such institutions at appropriate intervals.
We are sure that the Prime Minister has received, and will continue to receive,
many more valuable ideas and suggestions from other quarters. In order to
convert good ideas into an action agenda, we would like to present one concrete
action point for your urgent consideration.
We appeal to the Prime Minister to convene three Retreats on School
Education, Higher Education, and Science & Technology Research with
the participation of eminent scientists, educationists, innovators and
entrepreneurs, from India and abroad. These Retreats will give an
opportunity to make central/state government entities and other stake-

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holders aware of their respective responsibilities to place science,


technology and innovation at the top of our national priorities.
It will be great if the Prime Minister underscores the crucial
importance of science and education in the Independence Day and
Republic Day speeches.
The Honourable Prime Minister concluded his inspiring speech at the 102nd Indian
Science Congress in Mumbai on January 3, 2014 with the following words of
reassurance: You will have no better supporter than me. In turn, I seek your
help in transforming India.
We depend on the Honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narenda Modi, for the
success of this agenda.
Signed (on behalf of all conclave participants and supporters) by:
Bharat Ratna Prof C.N.R Rao, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced
Scientific Research
Prof Gautam Biswas, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
Prof K.N. Ganesh, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research , Pune
Prof Arun Grover, Panjab University
Dr K. Kasturirangan, Karnataka Knowledge Commission and National
Institute for Advanced Studies
Dr F.C. Kohli, Tata Consultancy Services
Dr R.A. Mashelkar, Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research
Dr Baldev Raj, National Institute for Advanced Studies
Prof T.V. Ramakrishnan, Indian Institute of Science and Benares Hindu
University
Prof Roddam Narasimha, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific
Research
Shri Dharam Vir, Society for Promotion of Science and Technology in India
Prof Spenta Wadia, International Centre for Theoretical Sciences of the
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru
Shri Sudheendra Kulkarni, Observer Research Foundation Mumbai
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AGENDA FOR ACTION


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Science provides a verifiable, self-subversive and self-renewing framework for the
creation of knowledge of our world, the understanding of the structure of
knowledge, and the use of knowledge for the betterment of mankind and its
environment. Science education is about imbibing this knowledge and its
framework from childhood. This enables an improved understanding of the world
around and beyond, of our history as a species and its societal implications, and
of our environment for the sustenance of life on earth.
The present era in human history, unlike any other, is characterised by the
revolutionary changes in all walks of life effected by the advances in scientific
knowledge and their applications in an ever widening range of technologies.
These will transform our world even more comprehensively, and at an accelerated
pace, in the future.

In order to shape, and benefit from these changes driven by science and
technology (S&T), India needs a long-term and comprehensive human
resource development strategy anchored in a reformed system of
education. Three compelling reasons necessitate reforms in S&T
education. Firstly, India can neither overcome the gigantic challenges it
faces in socio-economic development, nor convert its enviable
demographic opportunity into prosperity for all, without innovative, largescale and universal use of S&T resources. Secondly, a country that is set to
have the largest population in the world within the next couple of decades
must become the net producer of scientific and technological knowledge,
and not remain its net importer. Thirdly, science education and scientific
temper are necessary for the refinement of the human mind and for the
evolution of the human race to a higher level, a goal exalted by Indias
hoary civilisation.
Reforms in S&T education should begin in the school system. The focus of
S&T education should shift from rote learning to joyful learning based on
learning by doing, serving and problem-solving. Gifted students, including
those from rural areas and urban slums, should be spotted and provided
with special training. Among other things, this requires at least a five-fold
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increase in the number of Navodaya Schools from 598 at present to


3,000 in the next five years.
Science and engineering education should have curricular components from the
humanities and the arts. World-class ICT infrastructure and digital learning tools
should be made available to all schools, colleges and universities. The acute
shortage of good-quality teachers in rural schools as well as in the higher and
technical education system needs to be addressed in a mission mode. Teacher
selection should be made on merit by phasing out reservations. Students from
poor and socially oppressed sections of society suffer more when teaching quality
is compromised since they cannot progress in todays competitive world. Training
of teachers on a continuous basis should be taken up on a war footing in all
subjects, but especially in sciences and mathematics. Exploitation of nonpermanent teaching staff must end. Profiteering by private institutions must be
stopped. However, this should not lead to creating hurdles for good privately run
educational institutions.

Tuition fees should not be capped at unsustainably low levels since


excellence cannot be achieved without adequate funding for
infrastructure and facilities. Poor and needy students should be helped
through adequate number of scholarships, loans, etc.
In higher education and research, pursuit of excellence with equity should
become the guiding principle. India must aim to create at least 10
Universities and Institutions of Global Excellence to be ranked among the
top 100 in the world, along with 100 Universities and Institutions of
National Excellence. At least 500 top-class science colleges should be
supported to become Colleges of Excellence. 100 promising engineering
colleges should be given autonomy and the funding to transform
themselves into IIT-like institutions. Necessary measures should be taken
to increase the number of PhDs awarded in sciences each year from 6,000
to 30,000, and in engineering from 2,000 to 10,000 over the next 5 years.
The number of Masters degree-holders in engineering, which is only 4% of
undergraduates (as against nearly 50% in USA) must be raised to at least
20% over the next 5-10 years.
Our universities must become learning-promotion centres, instead of
being mainly examination-conducting centres. They should nurture a
strong culture of research linked to national development challenges.
There should be close collaboration between universities, research
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organisations, industry organisations, and government agencies.


Enhancing and ensuring the employability of every adult Indian through
knowledge, skills and entrepreneurship should become the guiding aim of
such linkages. The countrys infrastructure of school, college and
university education should fully support the ambitious National Skill
Development Mission. Indias rich and diverse heritage of grassroots
scientific knowledge and technological innovations should be revived,
mainstreamed, promoted and commercialised.
The Government should launch a Study in India Mission, on the lines of
the Make in India Mission, to make India an attractive higher and
professional education destination for foreign students. At least 10-15% of
students and faculty in our leading universities and institutions of higher
learning should be from foreign countries. To promote national
integration, up to half of the students and faculty in our universities and
institutions of higher learning in any state should be from outside the
state.
Achieving the above-mentioned and other ambitious goals necessitates
two urgent tasks. Firstly, radical reforms are needed in governance,
curricula and pedagogy. These reforms should draw from best practices
worldwide. Bureaucratic control and interference of politicians in the
appointment of vice chancellors and in the functioning of universities and
colleges must end immediately. Only visionary leaders with a track record
of committed service in the field of education should be appointed as
heads of institutions. All universities, institutions of higher learning and
promising colleges should be given effective appropriate autonomy in
financial, administrative and academic matters. All regulatory bodies
should be reformed suitably to further this objective.
Secondly, India must spend a minimum of 6% of GDP on education and
research, harnessing resources from government, private and
philanthropic sources. All businesses should be incentivised to set aside an
additional 1% of their net profit for education and research.

These are some of the key action items that are discussed in detail in this
document titled Agenda for Action. A list of 35 goals have been identified
collectively by several hundred academics who were consulted for this purpose.

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AGENDA FOR ACTION


A STRATEGIC APPROACH TO HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

10

1. Education for refinement of the mind, for citizenship and for life 10
2. The need for a long-term human resource development strategy . 11
3. Expectations from the National Policy on Education 2015 ............. 12
4. A flexible and adaptive approach to education delivery ............... 13
5. Generous funding support for education and research ................ 14
STRENGTHENING SCIENCE EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS

15

6. Promoting learning by doing and learning by serving ...................15


7. Flexibility with regard to curriculum and pedagogy ..................... 16
8. Teacher development and empowerment .................................... 17
9. Student assessment and learning outcomes ................................ 18
10. Language teaching now and in the future ............................... 19
11. Strengthening secondary education ........................................... 20
12. Special programs to identify and educate gifted children ........... 20
13. Inspiring young minds to take up careers in science .................... 21
QUALITY HIGHER EDUCATION

22

14. Dealing with the consequences of the affiliation system ............ 22


15. The challenges of granting autonomy to educational institutions
....................................................................................................... 23
16. Universities are the fulcrum of excellence in education ............. 24
17. Ten Universities of global excellence within a decade ................ 25
18. 100 Universities of national excellence within 5 years ................ 26
19. 500 Colleges of excellence ......................................................... 27
GOVERNANCE AND REGULATION OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

28

20. Good governance and efficient administration .......................... 28


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21. Ensuring the financial health of institutions ............................... 29


22. Reforming the regulatory system ............................................... 30
RECRUITMENT, TRAINING AND EMPOWERMENT OF TEACHERS

31

23. Addressing faculty shortages in a mission mode ......................... 31


24. Merit selection of faculty by phasing out reservations ............... 31
25. Pre-service and in-service training of faculty ............................. 33
26. Performance evaluation and career advancem ent of faculty ...... 33
STRENGTHENING RESEARCH AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

34

27. Creating a larger, more competitive, research workforce .......... 35


28. Quality Masters and PhD programmes ...................................... 36
29. Industry-Academia interaction ................................................... 37
USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN
EDUCATION
38
30. World class ICT infrastructure at educational institutions .......... 38
31. Driving the intelligent use of ICT in education ............................ 39
SCIENCE & SOCIETY:
SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE, OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE

39

32. Promoting Sanskrit and other Indian languages in order to


reconnect with our past scientific traditions ................................... 39
33. Preserving and promoting Indian knowledge traditions ............. 40
34. Encouraging and empowering women in science and technology
....................................................................................................... 41
35. Ensuring pride of place for science in society ............................ 42

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AGENDA ACTIONS AND WAYS TO ACHIEVE THEM


A STRATEGIC APPROACH TO HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Agenda for Action 1: Education for refinement of the mind, for
citizenship and for life
According to Sri Aurobindo, one of modern Indias finest philosophers and thinkers,
Integral education aims at the total and complete development of the individual
a strong supple well-formed and healthy body; a sensitive, unselfish and mature
emotional nature; a positively energetic, vital and enlightened mind; a wide ranging
and vibrant intelligence; a strong will; a balanced and pleasant personality; and the
subtler spiritual qualities that can channelise, harmonise and direct all the different
parts of an individual into a life that is beneficial to the individual and to his fellow
men". India was fortunate to have several leading lights Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar,
Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Maharshi Karve, J.
Krishnamurthi, Dr S. Radhakrishnan, Dr Zakir Husain, to name a few who brought
reform in education.
Why we need this goal: After Independence, the finest minds in the country were
called upon to articulate the policy roadmap for education. The report of the
University Education Commission of 1948 authored by philosopher, statesman and
later, India's President, Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, is widely considered the most
comprehensive and eloquent document on the subject. Similarly, the Education
Commission Report of 1964-66 authored by the visionary Prof D.S. Kothari, himself
an outstanding scientist, is considered a landmark document in education. The halfhearted and weak implementation of these and subsequent reports on education is
a subject that has been much written about. It is beyond debate that the current
education system in India is poorly equipped to fulfil the lofty goals of integral
education and has consistently failed to give access to holistic and liberal education
to most students. We can continue to ignore this at our own peril. A hundred years
ago Sri Aurobindo warned of intellectual degeneration when the excessive
cultivation of mere outer knowledge happens at the expense of higher mental
faculties. "Much as we have lost as a nation, we have always preserved our
intellectual alertness, quickness and originality; but even this last gift is threatened by
our university system, and if it goes, it will be the beginning of irretrievable
degradation and final extinction."
Suggestions on how to achieve it: The first step towards reforming the education
system is according prime focus to the larger purpose of education and committing the
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best leadership and resources towards fulfilling these goals. The silo approach to
education must give way to a progressive mind-set that allows greater freedom,

Science is one of the creative endeavours of the human mind. Science seeks universal and
fundamental truths. Science plays a vital role in the advancement of human life and its study
is central to technological progress. Modern societies and nations must be built on scientific
knowledge. A scientific culture and logic must determine the choices and decisions made by
individuals, societies and nations.
- Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Honourable President of India

creativity, experimentation, integration of knowledge streams, and innovation at the


level of institutions, to bring out the best in individuals. In the discussion that follows
various aspects of this reform agenda are elaborated. Although the focus here is on
higher education in science and technology areas, these can only be built up on quality
school education so we touch upon both.
Agenda for Action 2: The need for a long-term human resource
development strategy
India needs a long-term human resource development strategy that can bring out
the best in every citizen and also help the country meet its development goals. The
strategy should take into account the unprecedented speed, breadth and depth of
advancement in knowledge of Science and Technology (S&T) around the world.
Why we need this goal: India cannot become a global economic power without
becoming a scientific and technological power. A nation of the size, population and
civilisational antiquity such as ours would be doing grave disservice to itself if it does
not seek to become a leading producer of scientific and technological knowledge.
This will not only enhance our national pride, but is also critical for successfully
tackling the challenges of sustainable development facing India and the world.
The success of each and every aspect of Indias physical, social and cultural
development be it Make in India, Digital India, Swachh Bharat Mission, Education
for All, Health for All, Food Security for All, Electricity for All, and all other ambitious
targets set by the governments at the Centre and in the States depends critically on
having an adequate number of skilled human resources addressing the challenges.
Therefore, the present policies of the Central and State governments, the strategies
for development, providing solutions to some of the critical issues like water, health,

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environment, energy, national security etc., should be carefully analysed to provide


an estimate of the type and number of professionals and skilled workers needed for
the envisaged goals. This should then be compared with the present and projected
capabilities being produced by our education system. A gap analysis of this kind will
enable us to create a more realistic strategy that can be adopted.
Suggestions on how to achieve it: India must seek to convert the demographic
opportunity to provide trained scientific, technological and skilled manpower to the
world, and transform itself from being a net consumer of scientific and technological
knowledge into a net producer of such knowledge.
The Prime Minister should constitute a high-level committee with a mandate to create
a long-term and comprehensive human resource development strategy for India. It
should comprise visionaries and experts drawn from diverse areas and be chaired by the
PM himself. The committee should assess the long-term human resource needs of the
nation in different fields with at least a 20-year perspective and also assess the gap
between supply and requirement. Based on this assessment the committee should
present an ambitious and reform-oriented strategy with clear goals and targets for
State governments, education promotion bodies, industry and other stakeholders. The
urgency of defining and implementing such a strategy in a transparent manner and of
monitoring its progress continuously cannot be overstated.
The new National Policy for Education 2015 being prepared by the Ministry of Human
Resource Development (MHRD) should be guided by this strategy.
Agenda for Action 3: Expectations from the National Policy on Education
2015
The new National Policy for Education due in 2015 (NPE2015) should seek to liberalise
education, empower academics, and unleash the creative energies in the education
system. It should create a flexible and diverse system of education in which the onus
for quality is placed in the capable hands of eminent academics and educators. It
must disempower bureaucracy in so far as it is an obstacle to experimentation and
creativity and a source of undesirable interference in academic institutions.
Why we need this goal: An abundance of young people, driven by aspirational
energy, is the most precious resource that we have in the country today. It is
imperative that we enrich and transform this resource into the currency of the 21st
Century namely, the socio-culturally and ethically developed knowledge worker.
This cannot be achieved unless governments step out of the way, desist from micromanaging education, and allow all good institutions their managements and faculty

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to take charge of and be responsible for creating a quality educational system that
is the envy of the world.
Suggestions on how to achieve it: Policy and its implementation methodology has
lacked focus and transparency in the past. This has resulted in a rigid and progresshindering permissions-based regime in which many of the excellent policies laid down in
the earlier policy documents, National Policy of Education 1968 (NPE1968) and 1986
(NPE1986), have fallen by the wayside . The cornerstone of the new National Policy on
Education should be the elimination of the bureaucratic mind-set in the functioning of
all central ministries, the state governments, and other government institutions that
impact education, such as regulating agencies. It is necessary to focus on creating
nimble, enabling, frameworks for visionary academics to work with. Control and redtapism should be replaced by genuine empowerment of dedicated thought and action
leaders in education, at all levels.
The NPE86, modified in 1992 (NPE86-mod92), intended to establish an Indian Education
Service (IES) as an all-India service, in consultation with state governments, for the
proper management of the education system. If the NPE2015 should chose to create
such a service then this should not be another service that is part of the bureaucracy
of the government. The IES must consist of committed educationists alone, with a
proven track record of meritorious service. These experts alone should occupy the top
positions in the education field.
Government role in education must be confined to funding, regulation, and monitoring.
Agenda for Action 4: A flexible and adaptive approach to education
delivery
The approach to education delivery must be such that it is sufficiently differentiated
to be able to serve the needs of different sections of society even as it remains
focussed on bringing out the best in each individual student.
Why we need this goal: India is a nation of immense social, cultural and occupational
diversities. Historically, all sections of our society have possessed, and contributed to,
knowledge resources of various kinds. However, the present rigidly-designed formal
education system with its uniform paradigm of what constitutes education, how it is
delivered and how it is evaluated, has condemned large sections of our society to the
derogatory category of uneducated or less educated people. This explains the
high levels of dropouts in our system. Indeed, they are not dropouts but push-outs.
Suggestions on how to achieve it: The present one-size-fits-all approach to education
must be discarded quickly. This is only possible if every educational institution every

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school, college and university is given freedom and flexibility to experiment, explore,
and evolve their own methods and systems, within the overall regulatory framework.
For this, policy must recognise a multiplicity of educational paradigms, delivery
mechanisms and evaluation methods all resting on the common foundation of all-round
individual and national development.
Informal systems of education should be suitably recognised, encouraged and
incentivised. Learning must be based on positive outcomes and the content and
methods of teaching must build in local knowhow local language(s) flora, fauna,
aspects of culture and local requirements up to say 30-40% of curriculum. Most
importantly, teachers must be encouraged to make learning meaningful and fun for
students.
Agenda for Action 5: Generous funding support for education and
research
India must spend a minimum of 6% of GDP on education and research in order to be
able to achieve the stated goals of providing quality education for inclusive
development and economic prosperity for all.
Why we need this goal: We must recognise the strategic value in this investment and
make it urgently, with a combination of government and non-government resources.
Many countries have spent and are spending well over 6% of their GDPs to build up
and maintain their strength in science and technology. In recent decades South Korea
and Israel have spent as much as 8% of GDP for many years in order to achieve a
competitive edge. The benefits of this to their economies and to the overall progress
of these two countries are there for all to see. NPE86-mod92 (and the NPE68 before
that) had committed to stepping up the outlay, during the Eighth Five Year Plan and
onwards, to exceed 6% but this is yet to happen.
Suggestions on how to achieve it: 1) The budgets of MHRD and all other ministries and
departments dealing with S&T (Health and Family Welfare, Biotechnology, S&T and
Earth sciences, Water Resources, Ocean Development, Agriculture, etc.,) must be
significantly increased. 2) All other ministries must be asked to set aside at least 10% of
their budgets on S&T education, research and outreach. 3) State governments are
currently spending very little on their own on S&T education and research. Their
spending must go up substantially. 4) All industries and businesses large, medium and
small should be incentivised to set aside 1% of their net profit specifically for education
and research each year, in addition to the current policy of earmarking 2% of their net
profit for other CSR activities.

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STRENGTHENING SCIENCE EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS


There is a shocking observation in the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2014
by Pratham that 50% of Class V students cannot do 2-digit subtraction, meant to be a
learning outcome in Class II. The situation with regard to reading and writing is just
as grim. The ASER reports of previous years have reported similar results. The focus
in recent years has been far more on getting kids into school and a lot less on ensuring
learning outcomes. Although Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) is now over 93%, the
primary education system is still, to a very large extent, in a pathetic condition. The
first rung in the ladder of mathematics and science education is already very shaky
and the factors contributing to this needs to be fixed.
Agenda for Action 6: Promoting learning by doing and learning by serving
As Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has rightly exhorted, Indias education
system must stop producing robots. For this to happen it is necessary to overhaul
education delivery, particularly of science education in schools, by re-directing the
focus away from studying for exams, towards learning by doing, how to learn,
and for coping with constant change. The same principles must apply also to higher
education.
Why we need this goal: It is rightly said that a student needs about seven years of
good schooling in order to be able to absorb higher education. Therefore, school
years must be treated as sacrosanct. The school system be it government-run
schools, government-aided or private schools forms the base of the education
pyramid which must be strengthened on a war footing to meet the rising demand for
a strong set of foundational skills upon which further learning builds. As was
underscored by Mahatma Gandhi in his far-sighted Nai Talim concept of education,
the foundation of education is built by harmoniously developing the latent potential
of 3 Hs the head, heart and hand. This entails development of the faculty of
integrative learning which includes development of moral values and the faculty of
emotions and intuition, free thinking, exploration, asking questions and seeking
answers, and gaining experiential knowledge through learning by doing and
learning by serving.
Suggestions on how to achieve it: 1) Overhaul science curricula in schools to give
primacy to concepts over facts, and to learning and application over memorising; 2)
Make curricula reflect the new and cutting-edge developments in S&T; 3) Change
teaching methods to encourage students to ask questions, explore, search, discover,
experiment, create, interact and engage in activity-based and service-based learning

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both individually and in teams; 4) Create infrastructure, facilities and tools (laboratories,
science clubs, science museums, relatively inexpensive equipment/toys/experiments/DoIt-Yourself/Discover-It-Yourself kits, etc.,) in schools and school-clusters; 5) Improve the
current extremely poor student-teacher ratios, which make it difficult for teachers to
allow students to work with their hands.
Several innovations in science education such as the low-cost Tinkering and Maker Labs
popularised by Shri Arvind Gupta in Pune, and learning methods, tools and systems
developed by Dr Vivek Monteiros Navnirmiti in Mumbai, make learning of mathematics
and science fascinating and accessible. Such tools should be made available in every
school to help students develop interest in the sciences. Similarly, the Introduction to
Basic Technology (IBT) course designed by Vigyan Ashram at Pabal near Pune, which is
currently being conducted in 122 schools in Maharashtra, is an excellent innovation that
deserves to be adopted in many more schools across the country. In this model, students
spend one day a week engaged in hands-on activities that are aligned to their
curriculum. The innovation hubs being set up by the National Council of Science
Museums (NCSM) with their Tod Phod Jod centres will also help build these capacities.

Science education must become an integral part of school education; and ultimately some
study of science should become a part of all courses in the humanities and social sciences at
the university stage, even as the teaching of science can be enriched by the inclusion of some
elements of the humanities and social sciences.
- Kothari Commission (1964-66)

NCSM should be supported to establish one Science Museum, along with mobile
facilities, in every district in the country.
Agenda for Action 7: Flexibility with regard to curriculum and pedagogy
Curriculum in schools must have the space for teachers to mentor students and to
promote learning by doing and learning by serving activities. As mentioned in
NPE86-mod92, teachers should have the freedom to innovate and to devise
appropriate methods of communication and activities relevant to the needs,
capabilities and the concerns of the community.
Why we need this goal: The curriculum in schools today tends to have too much
content that is remote and unconnected to students local environment. For
example, in Odisha villages that produce world-famous pattachitra paintings, the
children of such artists learn nothing about this great art in their schools. Similarly, in

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districts of Uttar Pradesh that have an amazingly rich tradition in weaving,


metalware, glassware, leatherware, etc., these arts and crafts find no place in the
curricula in local schools. There are tens of thousands of such examples across the
country. Learning outcomes are rarely specified and teachers have very little
freedom, flexibility or (often) capability to go beyond the standard curriculum.
Suggestions on how to achieve it: There needs to be a paradigm shift in which we focus
on maximising learning outcomes; reducing the quantity of inessential material being
taught while strengthening the essential conceptual content; changing the standardised
system of evaluation; and leaving a lot of freedom and flexibility in the hands of the
teachers. Primary and early secondary education must include education about basic
hygiene and health, basic financial literacy, an understanding of government and
society, democracy and citizenship etc., besides skills training. Students must be taught
indispensable life skills at the earliest so that they can stand on their own feet in the
unfortunate event of them having to drop out early. Schools must be encouraged to
introduce best practices from around the country and abroad. For example, learnings
from the successful Hoshangabad Science Teaching Programme should be scaled out
with the active cooperation of the state governments.
Agenda for Action 8: Teacher development and empowerment
Teacher development in all subjects but especially in sciences, mathematics and
languages must become a continuous activity, and the priority of governments and
educational institutions.
Why we need this goal: A large number of pre-service training programs (both D.Ed
and B.Ed) in the country do not focus on practice and knowledge-oriented training of
teachers, especially in science and mathematics. In many states, the pre-service
teacher training programs suffer from little or no regulatory oversight and are even
reduced to degrees that can be purchased rather than 'earned'. In-service
professional development of teachers also leaves a lot to be desired in terms of
developing subject-knowledge of teachers and know-how of different teachinglearning practices as well as advancements in science and technology. Teacher
training today is often not in alignment with the needs of the teacher, the students
and the schools themselves.
Suggestions on how to achieve it: Given the large numbers of teachers that are
employed by state governments, the regulatory framework for pre-service teacher
training colleges (diploma as well as bachelors), should be completely overhauled. The
recent changes proposed, based on Justice Verma Commission Report and Prof Poonam
Batra Committee Report, hold promise if implemented judiciously. The suggested

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changes provide for a much-needed revamp of pre-service teacher education towards


better teacher-readiness, with extended immersions of teacher trainees in schools,
focus on collaboration, projects and interdisciplinary study and research.
The professional development needs of the teachers should be regularly assessed and
need-based training that is project- and practice-oriented should be imparted at periodic
intervals. Teachers' performance with respect to this goal must become a key criterion
for the promotion of teachers, and also for the evaluation, accreditation, and ranking of
the institution.
Communities of teacher educators as well as teachers, including Subject Teacher Forums
should be created and supported, to encourage collaboration and sharing of
information and best practices among teachers, as has been done in Karnataka with the
help of the NGO, IT for Change.
Agenda for Action 9: Student assessment and learning outcomes
Student assessment must focus on testing for critical thinking skills, do-it-yourself
skills and creativity rather than the ability to learn by rote. Students dependence
on external (and expensive) tuitions should be minimised and their learning
outcomes must become the basis for evaluation of teachers.
Why we need this goal: The current standardised evaluation system in schools, based
largely on students writing answers to questions in year-end examinations, is a very
poor way to judge learning outcomes. It puts a premium on memorising answers
rather than on understanding concepts and creative application of those concepts to
gain knowledge and to solve problems. The pressure to do well in exams has made
students dependent on expensive tuition classes, which have distorted the system
even further.
Suggestions on how to achieve it: As discussed as early as in NPE68, examination
should be aimed at helping the student improve his/her level of achievement rather than
certifying the quality of his/her performance. Similarly, the NPE86-mod92 asserts that
examination must be a valid and reliable measure of student development and a
powerful instrument for improving teaching and learning. Yet neither of these goals
have been achieved so far. Schools must be encouraged to realign their evaluation
keeping these goals in mind.
Continuous comprehensive evaluation (CCE), which is a key component of the Right to
Education Act (RTE), has of late come in for a lot of criticism leading to a clamour for reinstating year-end examinations. This would be a mistake. It is necessary to give this
innovation the necessary time to settle down, to be experimented with and simplified

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as needed. Abolishing the traditional system of examinations for young children is a very
good move which is in alignment with similar practices the world over. Teachers can
then focus on ensuring joyful learning for school children.
Agenda for Action 10: Language teaching now and in the future
There should be a complete rethink with regard to the methods of language
teaching in the country. A new approach that incorporates knowledge of how
children learn languages should be made a part of language education as well as
science education.
Why we need this goal: It is a well-established universal principle of education that
children, in their early years of schooling, learn best when the material is taught to
them in their mother tongue. Since Indians speak many languages and dialects this is
very difficult to ensure for rural and tribal children. However, particular care can be
taken to ensure that children achieve a measure of fluency in the medium of
instruction at their respective schools, at the earliest. Otherwise it is inevitable that
primary and secondary school students will find it difficult to learn mathematics and
science.
Suggestions on how to achieve it: Indias linguistic pluralism, and the rapidly growing
demand for education in English, can both be turned into an advantage. Schools must
aim to make children completely bi-lingual or even tri-lingual. This can be done by
reviewing our methods of teaching languages in schools today, and correcting the
lacunae. Some of the deficiencies that must be corrected include: 1) excessive focus on
grammar and on writing skills over the ability to speak fluently, 2) using text books that
contain highly literary language and phraseology, and 3) well trained teachers who can
teach students to be fluent in the language that is the medium of instruction, quickly.
The poor quality of text books and the paucity of reading material in non-English
languages, adds to the difficulty of teachers as well as students.
Children are able to learn to speak multiple languages quite easily, and this fact has been
used effectively by many European countries. Expertise on this topic is available both
within India as well as internationally, and must be tapped. Simultaneously, all-out
efforts should be made to improve the quality of science teaching in the Indian
languages. This requires major improvements in the quality of science text books in
schools, making attractive non-curricular books and teaching aids on various science
subjects available in non-English languages, and encouraging the non-English mass
media to popularise science among children and general population.

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Agenda for Action 11: Strengthening secondary education


Navodaya schools, which are fully residential and co-educational schools for
classes VI to XII, affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) have
done extremely well in their goal of reaching out to gifted students from rural India.
There should be a five-fold increase in the number of Navodaya schools in the next
five years. Similar residential schools that offer peer learning opportunities to
students can also be created for post-primary education in vocational streams.
Why we need this goal: The concept of Navodaya Vidyalayas can be leveraged not
just for gifted children, to give them a CBSE education, but also for all rural children.
Residential schools with relatively large enrolment are better placed to give students
appropriate combinations of traditional and skills based education.
Suggestions on how to achieve it: MHRD which runs the Navodaya Schools through an
autonomous organisation, the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), should aim to achieve
a five-fold increase in their number from 598 at present to 3,000 in the next five years.
Reputed philanthropic trusts with a good track record in education should be
encouraged to set up new schools as per the norms established by NVS. The NPE68
envisaged that, for strengthening secondary education, technical and vocational
education be suitably diversified to cover a large number of fields such as agriculture,
industry, trade and commerce, medicine and public health, and much more. This goal,
which has not yet been achieved, is best pursued by creating residential schools for the
purpose, similar to the Navodaya Vidyalayas, to leverage opportunities for peer learning
among students and to give them an environment where they can focus on their studies.
Agenda for Action 12: Special programs to identify and educate gifted
children
In order to create top-notch scientists, innovators and engineers, it is critical to run
a systematic programme to identify students who are gifted in mathematics and
science very early in schools, and to give them advanced training and opportunities
to learn from practitioners all through their education.
Why we need this goal: The concept of grooming gifted children for their fast-track
development in science, mathematics and innovation is neither elitist nor
discriminatory. All children are gifted in some way or the other. Many countries
around the world Israel, United States, Germany, Japan, South Korea, China, to
name a few have programmes for training gifted children, which accounts for their
pre-eminent strength in basic sciences, mathematics and engineering.

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Suggestions on how to achieve it: There are several national and global initiatives that
can be considered here. The concept of Magnet schools with special curricular focus on
special themes (common themes are mathematics and science but also include the arts
or vocational career paths) prevalent in the US where gifted children can follow a more
advanced curriculum and have special teachers in science/mathematics is one such.
Teachers must be trained to identify such children and work with them. Similarly,
existing initiatives in India such as the Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) meant
to attract exceptionally motivated and gifted students for pursuing careers in science,
must be scaled up, rather than being wound down, by providing them with generous
funding support. The KVPY must also be supplemented with similar schemes by state
governments. Programmes such as Promoting the Development of Indias Gifted
Young (PRODIGY) anchored at National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) that bring
together researchers, educators, policymakers, parents, and other stakeholders to
address the challenge of gifted education should also be given more impetus. More
opportunities for gifted students to interact with scientists and innovators, and to
spend their summers in colleges, universities, research institutions and industries.
MHRDs newly unveiled Ishaan Vikaas programme for the benefit of talented students
from the North-East is a good idea. It should be replicated for similarly under-developed
and under-served regions in the country.
Agenda for Action 13: Inspiring young minds to take up careers in science
Young students need to be inspired and motivated to become scientists and
engineers. Presently we are losing them in the early years of schooling simply
because these subjects are taught poorly and become difficult for them. A related
goal is to reverse negative perceptions regarding the poor viability of careers in
science and engineering.
Why we need this goal: The inspirational power of curiosity, imagination, exploration
and discovery can hardly be underestimated. They are the building blocks of creativity
and new knowledge generation, and consequently of national progress. It is crucial
to keep young students engaged with practitioners in science and to motivate them
to become scientists and engineers working at the cutting edge of knowledge to
solve problems and to produce discoveries and innovations.
Suggestions on how to achieve it: Reforms in curricula, teaching methods and
evaluation of students will be key to achieving this goal. Inspiring young minds to take
up careers in science must be one of the stated outcomes of our education system and
considerable effort must be put into achieving it. Inspiring life stories of great scientists,
innovators and engineers should be made available to young students in audio-visual

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formats in as many regional languages as possible. Programmes that promote


interaction between practising scientists and engineers, and students and their faculty
at schools and colleges are absolutely necessary. Programmes that are already running
successfully should be expanded in scope and initiated at many more locations. The
central and state governments should start a creative and sustained awareness
campaign in the mass media to motivate bright young students to choose careers in
scientific research and technological innovation.

QUALITY HIGHER EDUCATION


Unlike the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Indian Institutes of Science Education and
Research (IISER), Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), and other institutes of
education and research in science and engineering that are run by the central
government, state universities and their affiliated colleges have been funded at very
modest levels and are subject to much higher levels of regulatory and bureaucratic
control. Consequently most of them are languishing and will require infusion of a
considerable amount of funds, and drastic reforms in their governance and
regulatory structure for reviving them. The successful entry of Panjab University into
the global rankings by Times Higher Education has created a ripple of interest in the
academic community that must be capitalised upon to ensure that many more Indian
universities strive towards national and international excellence.
Agenda for Action 14: Dealing with the consequences of t he affiliation
system
The affiliation system is the root cause of most of the quality issues in higher
education today. It has resulted in an extremely fragmented education system in
which students have fewer opportunities for interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary
education. It must therefore be phased out quickly, despite all the resistance, and
the fragmentation halted and even reversed.
Why we need this goal: India educates 26 million students in well over 37,000
colleges and 700 universities whereas China educates a comparable number in just
4000 universities! Our institutions have also not factored in the advantages that
students can get from peer learning opportunities at residential institutions. The
centralised curriculum and examinations conducted by the university on behalf of all
its affiliated colleges, has left college teachers with little or no role to play with regard
to ensuring the quality of undergraduate education. All these factors contribute to a
vastly inferior learning experience that will not be easy to reverse.

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Suggestions on how to achieve it: The affiliation system, whereby universities provide
hundreds of colleges with curriculum and examination support for a fee, has allowed
many promoters (many of them politicians) who are not educationists to start private
colleges and seek to derive profit from them, despite the non-profit status of the trusts
and societies that run these colleges. This has also brought in vested interests into the
regulation of educational institutions. Strong political will and leadership will be
required to reverse the situation, something that must be done if quality is to improve
at all. That the UGCs own report on phasing out the affiliation system, prepared in 2011,
is yet to be implemented is an indication of the extent of the resistance. Well-governed
good colleges should be given autonomy at the earliest and encouraged to expand their
subject offerings and increase enrolment. Poor quality colleges must be mentored by
good colleges (and optionally also the parent university), grouped with other good
colleges into cluster universities, and be charged with the responsibility of improving
quality of education within a specified time.
Agenda for Action 15: The challenges of granting autonomy to
educational institutions
Although phasing out of the affiliation system and granting of autonomy to well
managed colleges has been recommended in many reports since Independence, it
has not been achieved due to resistance from many groups of stakeholders, not
least the state governments. As for granting autonomy to state universities, it is
once again the state governments that are unwilling to give up control.
Why we need this goal: It is only if governments will provide block grants to
universities and colleges and consent to step aside completely, leaving the running
of these institutions in the hands of capable academics with proven credentials, that
we can expect to see improvement in the quality of education. Government officers,
however well-meaning, are not educationists and ought not to be controlling
education in the name of supervising the disbursement of funds.

Higher education is, undoubtedly, an obligation of the State but State aid is not to be
confused with State control over academic policies and practices. Intellectual progress
demands the maintenance of the spirit of free inquiry.

- Radhakrishnan Commission (1948)

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Suggestions on how to achieve it: Autonomy for all good educational institutions is
the single most important instrument that can be used to improve the quality of
education in the country. The central government must persuade all the state
governments to initiate far-reaching reforms by granting complete and genuine
autonomy to universities and to colleges. The Central Advisory Board on Education
(CABE) can be used to put together a coordinated effort towards this. Leadership and
direction from the Honourable Prime Minister and the PMO will be required to
dislodge entrenched positions and initiate this difficult reform in the right spirit.
Governments must provide funding in the form of block grants and create an
appropriate regulatory framework to ensure that funds are well spent, but leave
everything else to the leadership of these institutions. Academia must, in turn, step up
and take charge of these institutions and work towards ensuring academic excellence,
a task for which they must be held accountable. This move will ensure that India
develops a large army of visionary and competent academic leaders over time, capable
of leading our universities and other institutions of higher learning to global standards
of excellence. Academic leaders must be expected to undergo specially designed
training programmes in leadership and administration before taking up their
assignments.
Agenda for Action 16: Universities are the fulcrum of excellence in
education
Universities must seek to reclaim their role of thought leadership of society. For
this, eminent academics and leaders must step forward to lead these institutions,
reaffirm their commitment to meritocracy, and help re-establish their credibility.
Why we need this goal: The crisis of academic leadership in the country today is
largely due to bureaucratic control and political meddling in the functioning of the
education system. Most leadership appointments in India are either politically
motivated or based on seniority rather than on merit. Even the VCs post is often up
for sale! Barring exceptions, Governors of states, who are Chancellors of universities,
have very little expertise in higher education and make no worthwhile contribution
to the running of the university system. The governance and management structure
of universities must be revamped as needed. Neither Central/ State ministers nor
bureaucrats should have any powers in selection of vice chancellors or other
functionaries in universities.

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Suggestions on how to achieve it: Dynamic leadership, full and genuine autonomy,
adequate funding and support even for private institutions, and enabling governance
and regulatory structures can help make this goal a reality. Governments and regulators
must ensure the following changes: 1) Vice chancellors must be chosen from among the
best available academics in the country and be expected to provide vision and academic
leadership to the universities. They must be held accountable for outcomes but they
must also be supported with excellent guidance from the governing boards, and be
backed up by a flexible and diligent administration; 2) The management of affiliated
colleges and examinations etc., activities that generate revenue, can be spun-off into a
profit-centre of the university and be managed by professionals thus freeing up
academics; 3) Universities must be encouraged to start undergraduate education on
campus provided they have adequate infrastructure to do so. There are many small and
sub-critical post-graduate departments that can get rejuvenated through this; 4)
Universities must be given the freedom to manage their own real estate optimally. They
must be allowed to demolish some existing buildings (barring heritage structures) and
replace them with high-rises if necessary to accommodate more departments,
laboratories and students; 5) Adequate attention to research should be given through
national and international collaborations; and 6) Diversity in student and faculty bodies
must be promoted through adequate quotas for nationalisation (up to 25% students
from outside the state) and internationalisation (up to 10% students) so that entrenched
mind-sets can become a thing of the past. MHRDs recently announced programme GIAN
Release of funds annually is leading to delay in implementation of plans and is an intrusion
in the autonomy of the institution. Block grants against a plan should become the norm
with universities being competent to expend according to their priorities.
- Yashpal Committee Report (1993)

(Global Initiative for Academics Network), meant to attract the best foreign academics
to teach at Indian universities, is a step in the right direction but more needs to be done.
Agenda for Action 17: Ten Universities of global excellence within a
decade
India must aim to create at least 10 Universities of Global Excellence within the next
decade that can be ranked among the top 100 in the world. These should be capable
of producing world-class research that can win Nobel Prizes and other prestigious
international awards in science and technology.

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Why we need this goal: Such an initiative is not just a matter of national pride.
Committing to this goal can also help focus attention on merit and galvanise all
stakeholders into action towards delivering on it. The ten Universities of Global
Excellence will certainly inspire hundreds of other universities and institutions to
improve their own global and national rankings. Among other benefits, this initiative
will help India produce Nobel laureates in science. It is worth remembering that after
C.V. Raman (1930), no Indian scientist has won a Nobel Prize for scientific research
done in India.
Suggestions on how to achieve it: The Central Government must choose 20 universities
and institutions competitively from among the top central and state universities and
institutions and support them fully with a ten-year plan for all-round excellence, so that
at least ten of them find their place among the top 100 in the world. The other ten
universities and institutions will then also achieve high global rankings. Some of the best
academics in the country must be put in charge of achieving this goal, empowered with
Our universities must be freed from the clutches of excessive regulation and cumbersome
procedures. They must have a higher degree of academic freedom and autonomy; and,
there should be as much emphasis on research as on teaching.
- Shri Narendra Modi, Honourable Prime Minister of India

adequate funds and the necessary autonomy, and be made accountable for the
outcomes. Their performance must be monitored directly by the Prime Ministers Office.
Agenda for Action 18: 100 Universities of national excellence wit hin 5
years
We must also aim to create and nurture 100 Universities of National Excellence
within a 5-year time frame.
Why we need this goal: India is a nation of sub-continental size, home to an extremely
large population. In order to promote the culture of excellence in the entire
education system, promising institutions at every level should be challenged to
consistently rise higher on the quality scale. This will exert a pull effect on other
institutions in the education system.
Suggestions on how to achieve it: State governments will have to cooperate actively
in achieving this goal since many of these 100 universities will fall within their
jurisdiction. The RUSA mission (National Higher Education Mission), aimed at providing
strategic funding to eligible state higher educational institutions provides state
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governments with a golden opportunity to enhance the quality of their institutions.


Once the commitment of state governments is established and funding support for the
selected institutions is secured, then only academic and governance related mentorship
needs to be organised. Fortunately, there is no dearth of premier institutions that can
provide academic mentorship to universities and colleges. Similarly, there are many
eminent intellectuals and doyens of industry with an interest in education who would
be willing to serve on governing boards of these universities.
Agenda for Action 19: 500 Colleges of excellence
As many good colleges as possible must be encouraged to become not just Colleges
of Excellence but also deemed universities. At least 500 science colleges must be
selected competitively within the next 5-10 years towards this goal. Similarly, 100
promising engineering colleges should be invited to transform themselves into IITlike institutions, as has been done by College of Engineering Pune (CoEP). These
and other good colleges can then be incentivised to mentor many more in the
future.
Why we need this goal: The number of good institutions in science and engineering
must go up dramatically, and quickly, so that talented students do not have to be
deprived of adequate opportunities for quality higher education.
Suggestions on how to achieve it: Complete and genuine autonomy to all chosen
colleges, along with the necessary financial support, are two of the most important
inputs towards achieving this goal that state governments must provide. Hand-holding
and proper mentoring by experts, in the realm of academics as well as governance and
administration, are the other necessary elements in the strategy. This has been
demonstrated well by CoEP, which has made use of its autonomous status and
mentoring from IIT Bombay to transform itself into an IIT-like institution. Their
experience can be used to design a strategy to upgrade 100 good engineering colleges
into IIT-like institutions within a period of 5-10 years. The steps taken by CoEP with
regard to governance and administrative reforms are applicable to all colleges.
India has many renowned science colleges such as Ruia College and St Xaviers College in
Mumbai, Loyola College in Chennai, St. Stephen's College in Delhi, St Josephs College in
Bangalore, Presidency College in Kolkata and Fergusson College in Pune, to name just a
few. The central government should select 100 such reputed institutions and incentivise
them to assist at least five other promising science colleges each, to climb higher on the
quality scale. In time the quality of education in all colleges can be improved in this way.
The argument made by state governments against granting autonomy to good colleges,
that this will dent the image of the parent university, is completely unacceptable. It is

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an excuse, firstly, not to allow promising colleges to excel and, secondly, to perpetuate
mediocrity in the university system.

GOVERNANCE AND REGULATION OF EDUCATIONAL


INSTITUTIONS
Agenda for Action 20: Good governance and efficient administration of
educational institutions
State governments have not paid adequate attention to issues of good governance
of state public universities and their affiliated colleges, despite it being well known
that good governance is critical for achieving excellence. Bureaucratic control and
interference of politicians in the functioning of universities and colleges is rampant
and must end immediately.
Why we need this: Many educational institutions do not get proper guidance from
their Management Councils/ Board of Governors towards good governance practices,
efficient and careful utilisation of funds, and robust administrative processes that can
support the management, faculty and staff in their task of pursuing excellence in all
spheres.
Suggestions on how to achieve it: Leadership and governance reform will require
paying more than lip service to quality. The management boards of all educational
institutions must be chosen very carefully and government representation must be kept
to a minimum. The boards must consist of eminent people who have had exposure to
the field of education, and are committed to contributing their time towards improving
the institution.
Dr F.C. Kohli, chairman of the board of governors of the College of Engineering Pune,
pioneered the concept of board members of autonomous colleges contributing 2 hours
per week, or 100 hours per year, of their time to the college. This is an excellent
benchmark to apply to all board members, because it brings their expertise and
experience to bear on the challenges facing the institution. Board members can help
universities and colleges raise funds, improve their administrative processes, create
linkages with industry for research and entrepreneurship etc. The management boards
of private colleges are generally dominated by family members of the promoters, a
practice that must be discouraged by regulatory authorities.

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Agenda for Action 21: Ensuring the financial health of institutions


Quality education requires considerable investment towards quality infrastructure
such as laboratories, library, hostels etc. These cannot be provided unless
educational institutions have adequate funds. Every effort must be made to
generate income from multiple sources, and tuition fees should not be capped at
very low levels because it will affect quality and only serve to diminish the value of
education.
Why we need this goal: Worldwide, the sources of funding for educational
institutions come from: 1) income from fees, 2) revenue from consultancy and
research by faculty, 3) income from endowments, 4) grants and donations, and 5)
contributions by government. Unlike in Western countries, Indian institutions do not
have any incentive to generate funds from grants and donations and they do not have
endowments. Barring a few exceptions, their faculty do not bring in much income
from their research and consultancy projects either. This leaves only fees and
government funding as the two sources of income for a college or university.
How we can achieve it: The quantum of fees must therefore be fixed such that it
contributes at least 30% of annual expenditure (including faculty salaries). Subsidies can
be targeted so that poor and deserving students receive varying degrees of scholarships
depending on their financial needs. All students must have the option of getting loans
from banks on easy terms. State governments do not spend enough on education. For
example, Maharashtra spends less than 0.2% of GSDP, far less than many subsidies given
to industry. All educational institutions must be encouraged to raise funds through

No student should be turned away from an institution for want of funds for education.
Absence of differential fee has led to subsidisation of a segment of student body that can
afford to pay for its education. Guaranteed student loans at low interest rates for those
who can take loans and free education for those who cannot afford it at all will be necessary
to educate India.
- Yashpal Committee Report (1993)

donations and grants, and be rewarded for doing so. Government must ease norms for
alumni and philanthropic support to educational institutions.
Private colleges are run by either trusts or societies, as a result of which there is
insufficient scrutiny of their financial dealings. Regulatory authorities must seek to
reform this. Capitation fees must be abolished completely.

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Agenda for Action 22: Reforming the regulatory system


The regulatory framework of higher and technical education, which has a key role
to play in maintaining quality, requires a radical re-orientation towards more
flexibility, and adherence to the spirit of quality education, rather than to the letter.
It should also be capable of addressing the scale challenge of ensuring that all
37000+ educational institutions are accredited and rated at regular intervals.
Why we need this goal: The UGC, AICTE, NAAC, NBA, NCTE and the professional
councils, have individually and collectively failed to ensure quality in the higher and
technical education system. Although a lot of good work has been done, there has
not been enough attention paid to issues of scale. The regulatory authorities have all
focused largely on checks at the entry level criteria for new institutions, new
courses etc., but not enough on outcomes of programmes. Since accreditation is
not compulsory many institutions have never been accredited. As a result, colleges
and universities of poor quality have flourished. The additional regulation of fees and
admissions, and many other controls on quantum of spending by the colleges and on
hiring of faculty by state governments etc., have further allowed mediocrity to thrive.
How we can achieve it: It is time now to change the paradigm of regulation by giving
good institutions the freedom to innovate, and focusing instead on weeding out poor
quality institutions through effective and transparent regulatory mechanisms that are
strictly enforced. Accreditation of programmes and rating of institutions are two key
instruments that can help achieve this goal. Given the large number of colleges in
existence, sufficient attention must be paid to the scale problem to ensure that all
institutions are accredited and rated regularly, within a stipulated time period. This can
only be achieved if a large number of external players are allowed to accredit and rate
institutions against detailed criteria specified by the regulators. The years of experience
that NAAC and NBA already have with doing accreditation, should stand them in good
stead for specifying the norms for external players for accreditation as well as rating.
Private institutions must be monitored carefully to prevent profiteering, without
creating unnecessary hurdles for good institutions that are compliant. Every institution
must be evaluated and rated against pre-specified sets of parameters each year and the
outcome of these evaluations must be available in the public domain.

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RECRUITMENT, TRAINING AND EMPOWERMENT OF TEACHERS


Agenda for Action 23: Addressing faculty shortages in a mission mode
The acute shortage of good-quality teachers in the higher and technical education
system needs to be addressed in a mission mode. At the same time, the exploitation
of non-permanent teaching staff, who are paid a pittance compared to the
permanent staff, must end.
Why we need this: An education system is only as good as the quality of its teachers.
India is facing a serious shortage of good teachers at all levels, which is due to many
years of neglect of the recruitment and service conditions of teaching faculty. There
is an urgent need to plan for the induction of a large number of new teachers without
compromising quality in the long term. For this, a separate short-term and long term
strategy will be needed. Many colleges appoint teaching staff on short-term
contracts for a variety of reasons. Not only do these contract teachers have no job
security and little chances of career advancement, but they are also paid shockingly
low salaries. The effect of this on the quality of education is decidedly negative.
How we can achieve it: In the short-term we must welcome experienced professionals
from industry, scientists and researchers from premier research institutes (active as well
as retired), retired teachers and academics from abroad of Indian as well as foreign
origin into adjunct and emeritus faculty positions. A provision must be made in the
CSR policy of companies such that a semester course taught by working professionals
can be counted towards the CSR contribution of their respective companies. Innovative
ideas like giving Education Credits to such professionals, which count towards their
career advancement, could be introduced.
For the longer term we must ensure that only extremely competent teachers are given
permanent jobs. This can only be done by introducing the practice of tenure-track
positions for new faculty, as is the norm in many countries, and being selective about
granting tenure. As far as non-permanent teaching staff is concerned, government must
mandate that their salaries be on par with that of permanent faculty and that all salaries
are comparable with the Sixth Pay Commission salaries paid by the government.
Agenda for Action 24: Merit selection of faculty by phasing out
reservations
India must commit to merit selection of faculty by phasing out reservations for
teacher recruitment and promotions within a decade at most. This is absolutely

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necessary for creating a meritocracy and a culture of excellence in our education


systems.
Why we need this goal: Our first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had said
in 1961: "I react strongly against anything which leads to inefficiency and second rate
standards. I want my country to be a first class country in everything....But if we go in
for reservations on communal and caste basis, we swamp the bright and able people
and remain second-rate or third-rate."
The current policy of reservations for enrolment of students in institutions of higher
learning is a sound one since it promotes equity in a society that has traditionally
provided unequal opportunities. However, it is counter-productive when adopted in
the selection and promotion of teachers. Only the best teachers, irrespective of the
caste they belong to, can help students and first-time learners, particularly from
disadvantaged sections of society, catch up with the mainstream. If this premise is
not accepted, affirmative action for the benefit of students from disadvantaged
sections of society will become meaningless. When merit is compromised, mediocrity
in teaching and research sets in, dragging the entire institution down. This hurts the
weakest students the most. Ending the quota system in recruitment and promotions
will actually serve the end of equity and social justice, rather than undermine it.
Suggestions on how to achieve it: That merit is a monopoly of any caste or
community is a myth. Reservations for faculty positions must be phased out by all
governments at the earliest. The process of recruitment of faculty through the State
Public Service Commissions, with its attendant delays, must also give way to faculty
selection by the institutions themselves, through a tenure-track scheme. The NET/SET
qualification examinations for faculty positions have become a source of corruption due
to the very small pass percentages. This should be looked into and mitigated else the
good intention with which these tests were instituted - to ensure that candidates have
good knowledge of their subjects - will be completely subverted.
Governments must continue to pay the salaries of teachers in the form of block grants
to the colleges, but their participation must end there. The practice of promotions of
faculty also being decided as per the norms set by the state governments must end.
Institutions autonomous ones to begin with should also evolve their own transparent
criteria for faculty promotion. Teacher unions on their part must cooperate by working
in the right spirit to promote quality and equitable education in the interests of society
and of the country. The mind-set towards the teaching profession must change. It
cannot be thought of as yet another traditional government job.

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Agenda for Action 25: Pre-service and in-service training of faculty


Good quality pre-service and in-service training is just as important for teachers in
the higher and technical education system as it is for school teachers. Educational
institutions must be made responsible for this activity and be evaluated for it.
Why we need this goal: There is virtually no provision for pre-service training of
teachers in higher education. Neither a Masters nor a PhD degree in India prepares a
potential teacher by providing him/her with any relevant expertise. Post-graduate
students do not have the opportunity to serve as teaching assistants during their
education so they have little or no teaching experience when they first step into a
classroom.
Suggestions on how to achieve it: The mandatory pre-service teacher training system
for school education system needs to be extended into the college system. New model
institutions for pre-service and in-service teacher training, which may be called
Navodaya Adhyapak Vidyalayas, need to be created. These can be trailblazers for
teacher training in higher education, particularly for pre-service training of candidates
before they are appointed as teachers in colleges.

It is on his personal qualities and character, his (teachers) educational qualifications and
professional competence that the success of all educational endeavour must ultimately
depend. Teachers must, therefore, be accorded an honoured place in society.
- Kothari Commission (1964-66)

The Academic Staff Colleges and the National Institutes of Technical Teachers Training
and Research (NITTTRs) are focused on in-service training but they are too few in
number. Educational institutions must therefore take the initiative to support their
faculty and to ensure that they are exposed periodically to advances in their fields of
expertise and interest as well as in teaching methodologies, through interaction with
peers and experts. Digital technologies must be pressed into service to scale such
initiatives quickly. The recently launched Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on
Teachers and Teaching must ensure that these goals are achieved.
Agenda for Action 26: Performance evaluation and career advancement
of faculty
Evaluation of college and university teachers using the academic performance
indicator (API) has become a cause of much angst among young faculty and requires
an urgent rethink. Similarly, the career advancement scheme (CAS) for faculty is
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creating many distortions. For instance, it has resulted in the proliferation of a large
number of fake journals, bypassing the intended check of the peer review process.
Why we need this: Academic performance should be evaluated not just on the basis
of research publications, but also on the quality of teaching and contributions to
institution building and nation building activities. Although the latter criteria are
specified in the guidelines of the UGC, administrative convenience is holding sway
with largely only publications (of any kind, not necessarily in good journals only) being
given credit. The bureaucratic way in which API is being implemented at many
universities and colleges, using narrowly defined criteria that are unsuited to many
subjects and departments is hurting the morale of young faculty.
Suggestions on how to achieve it: The present situation with API and CAS is indicative
of everything that is wrong in the education system today. Peer review, the time tested
method of reviewing the research output as well as performance of academics, appears
to be discredited and cast aside due to lack of trust within the system. Exemplary
leadership will be required to restore trust between the different groups of
stakeholders. The leadership of universities Vice-chancellors, Deans and Heads of
departments must take the lead in fixing the problem. Individual departments must
be encouraged to evolve their own criteria for evaluation, by consensus and by
consulting their peers in other institutions if necessary. Due weightage should be given
to performance parameters that include helping weaker students improve their
learning outcomes, community outreach, institution building, and participation and
contributions to nation-building activities such as the Swachh Bharat mission or Digital
India etc. These criteria must then be administered fairly and be reviewed regularly, for
improvements.
The explosion of poor quality publications and fake journals is the direct outcome of a
bureaucratically designed career advancement scheme. It must be kept in mind that all
teachers need not become researchers. Younger faculty must be incentivised to spend
more time doing research and senior faculty on teaching, instead of visa-versa as is the
case now.

STRENGTHENING RESEARCH AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP


India has the smallest number of researchers in the world, less than 150 per million
population relative to well over 4600 in South Korea and the US. Besides making us
extremely uncompetitive internationally, Indias poor focus on research has greatly
weakened our efforts to successfully tackle socio-economic challenges at home using
science and technology based solutions. We must address the situation immediately.
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As has been voiced at almost every session of the Indian Science Congress over the
past two decades we must increase the funding for research immediately, to 2% of
GDP from the current 0.9%, and create a much larger competitive grant system for
peer reviewed research proposals.
Agenda for Action 27: Creating a larger, more competiti ve, research
workforce
We need to invest urgently into building a larger, more competitive, scientific
workforce at all layers of Indias economic and social development. Universities
must become the hubs of scientific research and they must leverage linkages with
premier research institutes, with industry and development-related government
agencies and departments to achieve this.
Why we need this goal: In the past, a large percentage of the research output, some
50-60%, used to come from universities but today this number is negligible, less than
10%. The situation must be reversed urgently but this will be a challenging task
requiring considerable effort and planning.
How we can achieve it: A large group of academics scientists, engineers and
technologists - must be entrusted with the task of coming up with a blueprint for
creating an enviable S&T workforce, based on a projection of our strategic needs in
socio-economic development, governance and security. Mandating universities to
become hubs of scientific research must become the centrepiece of this blueprint.
Academic cooperation between premier research institutes, national laboratories and
universities must be strongly encouraged. For example, the laboratories of the Council
of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Defence Research & Development
Organisation (DRDO), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Indian Council of
Medical Research (ICMR), etc., should be connected to existing universities for
collaborative research. Researchers from these institutes must be incentivised to spend
a semester, or even a year at universities and colleges, assisting with the introduction of
new courses, training faculty etc. In this connection, the recent move by DST to ask
research scientists to contribute 12 hours each year towards improving education is a
good beginning, but the time spent should be increased to say 30 days a year for a
meaningful outcome.
The Fellowship of the Indian Academies Indian Academy of Sciences, Indian National
Science Academy, National Academy of Sciences in India, Indian National Academy of
Engineering, and academies related to Agriculture and Medicine can assist immensely
in this task. The best Indian academics are the Fellows of one or more academies and

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they would be willing to assist with improving the quality of research and teaching. A
sustainable institutional framework with adequate financial support from MHRD and
the Department of Science and Technology will be required.
Agenda for Action 28: Quality Masters and PhD programmes
Our universities and institutions of higher learning must increase the number of
PhDs awarded in the sciences each year, from approximately 6,000 to 30,000, and
in engineering from approximately 2,000 to 10,000 over the next 5 years. The
number of Masters degree-holders in engineering, which is only 4% of
undergraduate degree holders (as against nearly 50% in USA) must be raised to at
least 20% over the next 5-10 years. Simultaneously, steps must be taken to raise the
quality of PhDs and of research to the standards prevailing in leading S&T nations in
the world.
Why we need this: The number of PhDs and the publication of research papers in
reputed international journals are indicators of original research and are therefore a
barometer of a nations contribution to the global wealth of knowledge. On this
criterion, India lags far behind countries like the US and China, both quantitatively and
qualitatively. The number of PhDs in all subjects in India was less than 20,000 in 201011. USA produces 45,000 PhDs while China produces 50,000. USA and China are
producing approximately 8,000 to 9,000 PhDs, in engineering and technology
subjects, each year.
Suggestions on how to achieve it: There are three principal reasons that deter talented
students from doing a PhD in S&T subjects in India. Barring notable exceptions, the
quality of guidance that a student gets during his/her PhD is relatively poor. The peer
groups of PhD students is very limited and students often do not get to travel to attend
conferences, particularly international ones. As a result, the learning opportunities
during an Indian PhD is much lower than for PhDs done abroad. The low fellowship
amounts until now also precluded students who needed to support their families from
taking up PhD work. This situation has now been corrected, though only partially. In
many cases students do not receive their stipends on time, sometimes for many months
at a time, due to bureaucratic lethargy and this makes an Indian PhD even more
unattractive.
Since funding for research is limited, only the best research proposals and researchers
ought to be supported. This can only be achieved if all research funding in the country is
given out on a peer-reviewed basis, in a professionally administered way. Reservations
for admissions into Masters and PhD programmes, and for research positions must be
done away with.
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It is necessary to increase laboratory-based hands-on learning experiences and openended research projects in colleges and universities. The standalone 2-year Masters
degree programme is considered to be expensive in terms of resources and faculty time.
Given the success of the integrated 5-year programmes in the IITs (dual-degree) and the
IISERs with respect to providing research exposure to students, the 2-year Masters
degree could be phased out in favour of the integrated programmes in all those
institutions that have the potential to support research. These 5-year Masters degree
holders will also be better placed to begin entry level teaching in many colleges.
Agenda for Action 29: Industry-Academia interaction
Collaborations with industry can create many meaningful opportunities for faculty
and students alike. Internships and undergraduate research experience for
students, sponsored research opportunities for Masters and PhD students, and
opportunities for faculty to spend time in industry during their sabbaticals are just
a few.
India must promote start-up culture to encourage young entrepreneurs with
innovative ideas. One of the best way of doing this is to invest into creating research
parks, to incubate innovation-based enterprises, in at least 50 of the best research
institutes and university campuses within the next five years, and 100 in the next ten
years.
Why we need this goal: Science and technology are the biggest drivers of
entrepreneurship, wealth creation and employment generation. Therefore, it is
necessary to bring together scientists, engineers, professionals from industry,
investors, and students, in environments that are extremely conducive to
collaborative research and development. A research park provides just such an
environment, for incubation of new knowledge-based enterprises.
How we can achieve it: Better industry-academia interaction will give impetus to
research and development on university campuses, to commercialisation of R&D, and to
promotion of entrepreneurship among both teachers and students. It would also
encourage industry investments in university R&D, awarding of scholarships at the
postgraduate level, and provide funds for much-needed support to laboratories, besides
bringing university research in alignment with industry needs. India should learn from
Israel, South Korea and China on how to create research parks in the vicinity of university
campuses. The business incubation centre at IIT Bombay and the research park set up by
IIT Madras have both produced encouraging results and these need to be replicated
quickly.

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Career options after completing a PhD are still limited and not very attractive. Indian
industry is not really able to provide a challenging enough environment for many PhDs
to work in. One way to mitigate this problem is for the corporate sector to sponsor a
certain number of PhDs so that students acquire skills that are of direct relevance to
industry. Both government and industry must jointly address these concerns, and
increase substantially the number of such research positions with attractive
remuneration.

USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN


EDUCATION
Nowhere is the intelligent use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
more needed than in education and research. Although the Central government has
done a lot of very good work in this area already, through the National Mission for
Education through ICT (NMEICT) programme of MHRD, a lot more remains to be
done. ICT can improve the reach as well as quality of education and also help create
a more efficient system of administration of education at all levels. Prime Minister
Shri Narendra Modi has rightly emphasised that provision of digital connectivity to
every student is as fundamental as providing access to school and college education.
Agenda for Action 30: World-class ICT infrastructure at educational
institutions
Just as India leapfrogged into using mobile phones without always going through
landlines, we can aim to make use of the best and most recent technologies to make
world-class ICT infrastructure available to all schools, colleges and universities.
Why we need this goal: Digital content and online delivery of education can greatly
enhance student learning experience, besides addressing the challenges of paucity
of teachers and scaling up the reach of good-quality education, both socially and
geographically. Quality ICT infrastructure hardware, software, and connectivity
can support not just these and other innovative uses of ICT in academics, but also the
efficient handling of admissions, examinations and other administrative tasks.
Suggestions on how to achieve it: Given Indias rich expertise in this area it is possible
to deal with the scale challenge, of reaching cutting edge technology to maximum
number of institutions, by developing and hosting all necessary software on the cloud,
supported by a 24x7 helpdesk and services. The scope of the National Mission on
Education ICT (NMEICT) as well as its funding must be augmented for this purpose.
Private sector companies, especially telecom and technology companies, content
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generators, and e-learning platforms should be made partners in this mission. India
should wholeheartedly adopt UNESCOs Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) model,
which provides useful tools and processes to create, exchange, share and exploit
content, software, and knowledge, efficiently and effectively.
Agenda for Action 31: Driving the intelligent use of ICT in education
Academia must be given charge of making intelligent use of ICT in education. In
particular they must drive the creation and use of appropriate educational content
as well as the effective use of ICT for different models of open and online education.
Why we need this goal: ICT infrastructure in education, without creative and useful
digital content, is not of much use. It is the faculty at educational institutions who are
best placed to leverage ICT in education, and they must be empowered to do so.
Suggestions on how to achieve it: All faculty at educational institutions must be given
access to tools and training for creating educational content. Early adopters among
faculty must be incentivised to create educational content in multiple languages and
then share their mastery with tools, as well as their content, as widely as possible. The
content so gathered can be hosted as open educational resources on the cloud.
Government must create a portal for purely educational content in which content can
be uploaded, with adequate labelling, so that it is easy to find for students and faculty
alike. The idea of a National Repository on Open Educational Resources (NROER) that is
being created at the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE) is a welcome
initiative. However, software meant for large scale use is best supported developed and
supported by experienced IT vendors.

SCIENCE AND SOCIETY:


SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE, OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE
Agenda for Action 32: Promoting Sanskrit and other Indian languages in
order to reconnect with our past scientific traditions
Indias glorious legacy of scientific knowledge and technological expertise, hidden
in Sanskrit and other Indian languages, must be researched, revived and
popularised.
Why we need this goal: Indias millennia old civilisation could not have withstood the
vicissitudes of history if our country did not possess a rich heritage of indigenous
scientific knowledge and technological expertise in various fields. This heritage
belonged not only to the classes but also to the masses. Much of this knowledge is

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stored in Sanskrit, which is the mother of most Indian languages. The value of this
heritage should not be over-exaggerated by making unfounded claims, nor should it
be belittled. Indias traditional understanding and pursuit of knowledge was
distinctively holistic, embracing all aspects of material, social, environmental, cultural,
artistic and spiritual development in other words, vijnana (science) and tantrajnana
(technology) were part of jnana (knowledge). Not only India but also the entire world
in the modern era needs such re-integration of human knowledge to tackle
contemporary problems holistically.
Suggestions on how to achieve it: 1) Sanskrit, which is a rich repository of Indias native
scientific and technological knowledge, should be widely promoted and research into
scientific heritage hidden in Sanskrit and other Indian languages should be fully
supported. 2) Support to prestigious organisations doing research in Indology, such as
the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute Pune, and many others, should be
substantially increased. 3) Indias traditional scientific and technological knowledge
should be included in school and college curricula. This will contribute to national pride
among students and youth. 4) These should also be projected worldwide.
Considering the special importance of Sanskrit to the growth and development of Indian
languages and its unique contribution to the cultural unity of the country, facilities for its
teaching at the school and university stages should be offered on a more liberal scale.
- Kothari Commission (1964-66)

Agenda for Action 33: Preserving and promoting Indian knowledge


traditions
Indias fabulously rich heritage of grassroots scientific knowledge and technological
innovations must be recognised, revived, promoted and commercialised.
Why we need this: In spite of major transformations in Indias economy wrought by
modern science and technology, our society still retains a wealth of grassroots
scientific and technological knowledge. This heritage is possessed by Indias farmers,
artisans, craftspeople, healthcare providers, pandits, etc. It continues to sustain our
agriculture and informal sectors of the economy, which employ a bulk of our
population. It must be preserved and suitably revived with the adoption of modern
science and technology. This will empower grassroots innovators, enhance their
social prestige, and also add to the productivity of local economies.
Suggestions on how to achieve it: 1) The Honey Bee Network created by Prof Anil Gupta
and its fallout, the setting up of the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) in 2000, was
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a commendable step. It has brought into the spotlight hundreds of inspiring grassroots
innovations by farmers, teachers, self-employed technicians and rural entrepreneurs. In
addition to providing greater support to NIF, the central government should encourage
states to establish similar foundations for supporting non-governmental organisations
working in the area of discovering, capturing, and popularising traditional and
indigenous scientific knowledge. The focus should be on commercialisation of such
grassroots knowledge and innovations. 2) There should be creative integration of
grassroots innovations with R&D at universities, IITs, engineering colleges, national
research laboratories of CSIR, ICAR, ICMR, etc., and private business organisations. 3)
India has a rich and varied heritage of arts, crafts, weaving, metalware, etc. Institutions
like National Institute of Design (NID) and Industrial Design Centre (IDC) at IIT Bombay
should be supported to forge large-scale collaborations with these traditional
industries. These industries should also receive sales and marketing support from online
marketing companies. 4) Laudable initiatives like the Vigyan Ashram model at Pabal,
near Pune, which trains grassroots entrepreneurs in rural areas should be widely
replicated. 5) Organisations like Vigyan Bharati, Kerala Shastra Sahitya Parishad and
others that are part of the People's Science Movement, should be supported fully to
take science to the people, and also to popularise peoples own efforts to solve their
problems using a combination of traditional and modern scientific and technological
knowledge.
Agenda for Action 34: Encouraging and empowering women in science
and technology
More women must be encouraged to take their places at the forefront of science
and technology education, research and management.
Why we need this: When it comes to careers in scientific research and engineering
the under-representation of women is manifest. This is largely due to socially dictated
gender stereotypes, lack of role models, lack of career options and absence of special
facilities needed by working women.
Suggestions on how to achieve it: While some of the onus of reversing the current
gender disparity must fall on women themselves and on families and communities,
governments can assist by making it easier for talented women to return to their careers
in science and science-related professions, particularly research. The Women Scientists
Scheme of DST is an excellent effort.
Universities, other institutions of higher learning, research laboratories and private
sector businesses should also be mandated to ensure significantly higher representation
to women. The NPE86 intended that more women would be inducted in the planning

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and management of education. This is a laudable goal that must be implemented as part
of the implementation of the new education policy of 2015.
Agenda for Action 35: Ensuring pride of place for science in society
At the centre of the strategy to achieve the goal of making India a net producer of
scientific knowledge and technological innovations must be the commitment to
give scientists, technologists and educators pride of place in society. As Prime
Minister Narendra Modi said at the inaugural session of the recently concluded 102nd
Indian Science Congress, our children should seek role models in scientists as much
as in sportsmen. Their parents should feel as much pride in their children seeking a
future in science as in business or civil service.
Why we need this goal: Scientists, engineers and S&T educators must be regarded as
honourable nation-builders. It is unfortunate that, whereas our society treats
cricketers and cinema stars as celebrities, even the best of scientists, engineers and
innovators (barring very few exceptions) are recognised beyond their specific circles.
Suggestions on how to achieve it: Science needs to be glamourised in the positive
sense of the term, and scientists and science teachers should be projected as role models
in society. Apart from increasing the number of prestigious awards for them (not only
by government bodies but also by corporate sector and philanthropic organisations, as
has been done by the Infosys Science Foundation), giving a place for scientists in all
policy-making bodies at all levels can help towards achieving this goal. A new annual
tradition of inviting eminent scientists to address Parliament and State Legislatures
must be created. Apart from honouring the scientists concerned, this will give an
opportunity for members of Parliament to understand the state of play in science and
the need to seize new opportunities being created by the revolutionary advances in
science and technology. This tradition should also be replicated at the state and district
levels. The mass media should also prominently and regularly highlight the inspiring
achievements of Indian scientists and of technological innovators.

Above all, we must restore the pride and prestige of science and scientists in our nation;
revive the romance for science in society; rekindle the love for it in our children; and,
encourage our scientists to dream, imagine and explore.
- Shri Narendra Modi, Honourable Prime Minister of India

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BACKGROUND
The state of science education in Indian schools, colleges and universities has been be a
matter of serious concern to everyone associated with it for a very long time. A recent
study by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) Mumbai, titled Whither Science
Education in Indian Colleges? Urgent reforms to meet the challenges of a Knowledge
Society, highlights some of the most critical challenges in science education in the
country poor quality of teaching and research, low motivational levels of teachers,
outdated curricula, excessive focus on examinations, weak focus on nurturing curiosity,
innovation and learnability, inadequate infrastructure, insufficient funding, low
employability of students and limited career options for them. These challenges are all
well-known but have not been addressed so far.
In order to create a more broad-based effort towards improving the quality of science
education, and to prepare a plan of action for the consideration of the government and
all other stakeholders, ORF organised a Conclave on Science Education, in Mumbai on
21st July 2014, which was chaired by Bharat Ratna Prof C.N.R. Rao. It was attended by a
large number of scientists, science educators and science popularisers. The outcome of
the conclave was a draft document titled MANIFESTO for Indias FUTURE Introduce
Urgent Reforms to Improve Science Education in Schools, Colleges & Universities for
Indias All-Round Development.
The draft manifesto was then discussed in other conclaves held around the country with
institutional partners such as Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati in the NorthEast, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune and the Pune
International Centre in Pune, International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS) of the
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Bengaluru, and the Chandigarh Region
Innovation and Knowledge Cluster (CRIKC) as well as the Society for Promotion of
Science and Technology in India (SPSTI) in Chandigarh.
In all, some 300 participants shared their views and indicated their willingness to
participate in the process of bringing about change, turning this into a societal initiative
under the guidance of Prof C.N.R. Rao. The revised and renamed manifesto, Agenda for
Action, incorporating all their suggestions and comments, is being placed forth for
serious consideration for action not just by central and state governments, but by all
stakeholders in education universities, colleges, educational trusts, industry partners,
NGOs and individuals willing to join the effort to create a world-class education system
in India.
This Agenda for Action document is also based on our careful study of many previous
reports on the subject of reforms in education, prepared in the past by the various
committees and commissions appointed for the purpose. We have also drawn upon ORF

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Mumbais own earlier reports on education: In 2010, we brought out a critique of the
proposed NCHER Bill titled A Much-Needed Reform That Fails the Test; In 2011 we wrote
about how ICT could be used effectively at scale in a publication titled ICT in Education Promotion of inclusive access to quality education in India through the induction of ICT:
Tackling the Scale Problem; In 2012, we brought out a report on medical education titled
Reforms in Medical Education to Promote Accessible and Affordable Healthcare for All. In
2014 we published a research report on school education, Thinking Out of the Box in
Education, that reported on the innovative measures taken in Israel towards educating
young children. Most recently, apart from our above mentioned publication on science
education, we have brought out a detailed research report on engineering education
titled, Excellence through Autonomy: Transformation of College of Engineering Pune into
an IIT-like institution A blueprint for replicating CoEPs success story in 100 engineering
colleges in India.
We present this Agenda for Action in three sections:

An appeal to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to provide the leadership that is
critical for initiating the difficult and overdue reforms in this sector;
An executive summary along with a listing of the 35 specific goals that will need
to be achieved;
A detailed elaboration of each of these goals, why they are needed and some
suggestions on ways to achieve them.

The names of all the participants at the various conclaves are listed at the end of this
document.
Sudheendra Kulkarni
Chairman, ORF Mumbai

Dr Leena Chandran-Wadia
Senior Research Fellow, ORF Mumbai

Radha Viswanathan
Senior Research Fellow, ORF Mumbai

Aparna Sivakumar
Research Fellow, ORF Mumbai

Page 44

Manifesto for Indias Future

CONCLAVE PARTICIPANTS
CHAIRPERSONS OF THE FIVE CONCLAVES
Prof C.N.R. Rao, JNCASR
Prof Gautam Biswas, IIT Guwahati
Prof Arun Grover, Panjab University
Prof R.A. Mashelkar, ICT
Prof T.V. Ramakrishnan, IISc & BHU
PARTICIPANTS in alphabetical order of
first names
A. Srinivas Pavan Kumar, IIT Guwahati
Dr A. A. Natu, IISER Pune
Dr Abhishek Dhar, ICTS-TIFR
Dr Achyut Godbole, Softexcel Consultancy
Services
Adithi Muralidhar, ORF Mumbai
Dr Aman Bhalla, Panjab University
Amit Paranjape, Pune
Amitav Mallik, PIC, Pune
Amruta Jadhav, Sarhad School
Amulya Charan, Pune
Dr Anil Kumar Angrish, Chandigarh
Anirudha Rajandekar, Pune
Dr Anjal Panigrahi, Chetana's N.S. College
Anjali Joshi, Chandigarh
Anjan Jyoti Dan, Pratham Mirza
Dr Anki Reddy Katha, IIT Guwahati
Dr Anoop K Dass, IIT Guwahati
Anu Chawla, Chandigarh
Anushree Lokur, Ruia College
Aparna Sivakumar, ORF Mumbai
Archana Chauhan, Panjab University
Dr Arti Arya, Chandigarh
Ashok Kalbag, Vigyan Ashram
Ashok Singh, Chandigarh
Ashwini Chintey, Air India
Ashwini Bhide, IAS, Govt. of Maharashtra
Dr Avinash Dhar, ICTS-TIFR
Dr B.L. Suresha, BMSCE, Bengaluru
B.N. Chandrashekar, BIT, Bengaluru
Dr B.S.Pabla, NITTTR, Chandigarh
Bandhana Sharma, Chandigarh
Dr Bhaba Kumar Sharma, IIT Guwahati

Dr Bhagwanti, S.C.D. Government College


Bhakti Dhandhere, Royal Society of
Chemistry
Dr Bhat, Mumbai
Bhushan Dewan, S D Maiya Vidyavihar
Bibek Bhuyan, DAV College
Binay Deogam, IIT Guwahati
Dr Biplab Bose, IIT Guwahati
Bipul Deka, Reporter
Dr Bishnupada Mandal, IIT Guwahati
Bisweswar Das, IIT Guwahati
Brindabi Devi (Retd. AHM) North Guwahati
High School
Dr C.N.Kumar, Teacher, Chandigarh
Dr C V Dharmadhikari, IISER Pune
Dr Chandan Das, IIT Guwahati
Dr Chandan Dasgupta, IISc Bangalore
Chethan Kumar, Times of India
Dr Chitralekha Mahanta, IIT Guwahati
Dr D C Kothari, University of Mumbai
Dr D. N. Deobagkar, Goa University/ SPPune
University
Dr Debabrata Chakraborty, IIT Guwahati
Deepak Nachnani, Press Bombay Times
Dr Deepesh Reddy, ORF Mumbai
Dev Dulari, Chandigarh
Dhanjyoti Kurni, Pratham Tinsukia
Dharam Vir, SPSTI, Chandigarh
Dr Dilip Ahuja, NIAS, Bangalore
Dipak Himatsingka, Miura Infrastructure
Dr Dipankar Chatterji, IISc, IAS Bangalore
Dr Dipankar Bandyopadhyay, IIT Guwahati
Dr Durga C. Dalal, IIT Guwahati
Fatma Gausiya, Panjab University
Dr G Rangana, IISc
Dr G. Sajith, IIT Guwahati
Dr G D Yadav, ICT
Gagandeep Chawla, GJIMT
Gajanan Bhoqulkar, Mumbai
Dr Ganesh Natarajan, IIT Guwahati
Dr Ganga Ram Chaudhary, Panjab University
Gautam Deka, Reporter
Geeta Dewan, Teacher, Chandigarh
Dr Gopal Das, IIT Guwahati

Manifesto for Indias Future

Gourishankar Bhattacharya, J.E.C.


Dr Gurjeet Kaur Bhatti, Post Doc Fellow,
Chandigarh
Dr H. B. Nemade, IIT Guwahati
Hamsa Iyer, ORF Mumbai
Harsh Dudhe, Sakal Reporter
Hemant Lagvankar, Science Populariser
Hupesh Choudhury, North Guwahati College
Dr I.M.Govil, Retd. Professor
Ishani Bose, Pune
Dr J. K. Deka, IIT Guwahati
Dr Jagdish C.Mehta, Teaching, Chandigarh
Dr Jagdish Rai, Panjab University
Jatindra Choudhury, North Guwahati College
Dr Jayanti Dutta Roy, PU Chandigarh
Jessu Jaskanwar Singh, Teaching, Chandigarh
Dr Joginder Singh Batra, Chandigarh
Dr Jyoti Rao, NCCS-Pune
Jyoti Soni, Teaching, Chandigarh
K. K. Bajpai, Kendriya Vidyalaya, IIT Guwahati
Dr K.N. Ganesh, IISER Pune
Dr K P Mohanan, IISER Pune
Dr K S Murthy, Pidilite
Kajari Mitra, British Council
Kanan Kapil, Teaching, Chandigarh
Kanchi Daiya, Somaiya Vidyavihar
Dr Kavi Arya, IIT Bombay
Ketan Thakkar, Indus Advty Mktg
Dr Keya Dharamvir, PU, Chandigarh
Kiran Kulkarni, Pune
Kiranjeet Kaur, Research Scholar, Chandigarh
Krishnaraj G, Mumbai
Kulvinder Singh, CSIO, Chandigarh
Dr Latika, Panjab University
Dr Leena Chandran-Wadia, ORF Mumbai
Dr M G Prem Prasad, IIT Guwahati
M. K. Dwivedi, Kendriya Vidyalaya, IIT
Guwahati
Dr M.S. Dharmaprakash, BMSCE, Bengaluru
Dr Madan Rao, NCBS
Dr Madhavi Pethe, M L Dahanukar College of
Commerce
Dr Madhu G, BMSCE, Bengaluru
Madhusudhan Medi, Media

Dr Mahura Vipra, Pune


Dr Man Mohan Gupta, CRIKC, Chandigarh
Mangala Narlikar, Mathematics teacher,
Writer
Manisha Thube, Sarhad School
Dr Manmohan Pandey, IIT Guwahati
Manoj Yadav, Student, Dept. Of Law, M.D.U.
Mansi Makrand Dhulap, Sarhad School
Dr Mansimran Khokhar, Chandigarh
Dr Mathew TJ, SNDT University
Megha Sharma, Teacher, Chandigarh
Mickoo Subedar, Mumbai
Mridusmita Barooah, IIT Guwahati
Dr Mrinal Kanti Dutta, IIT Guwahati
Muhiteswar Goswami, Janasadharan
Mukesh Malhotra, Malhotra Weikfield
Foundation
Dr Mukund Thattai, NCBS
Dr Murugendrappa M. U., BMSCE, Bengaluru
Nachiket P Joshi, Vedh Content &
Communications
Naosikpam Ajit Singh, CPR, Panjab University
Navin Shah, N P Pradhan
Navjeet Bhalla, Shishu Niketan Model School,
Chandigarh
Dr Navneet Kumar, DAV College
Navneet Singh, Education Startup
Neeraj Chandra Pant, Student, Chandigarh
Neha Batta, Panjab University
Nidhi Goyal, Chandigarh
Nilesh Shah, Investment Point
Ninad Vengurlekar, Mumbai
Niraj Pandit, Loksatta
Nisarg Udeshi, There4 Virtual Media
Nitish Gandharve, Student, Chandigarh
Dr Om Deshmukh, XRCI Bangalore
Dr P. G. Yammiyavar, IIT Guwahati
Dr P. K. Iyer, IIT Guwahati
Dr P.K. Raina, IIT Ropar
Dr P R. Urbasi, Sinha Raman Research
Institute
Dr P.S. Gill, S.G.G.S. College
Dr Partho S. G. Pattader, IIT Guwahati
Parveen Mago, Teacher, Chandigarh

Manifesto for Indias Future

Pradeep Kumar Kalita, North Guwahati


College
Prajakta Dhekle, Journalist
Prajakta S S, All India Radio
Prathamesh Maskar, Mumbai Tarun Bharat
Dr Pratima Agarwal, IIT Guwahati
Praveen Kulkarni, Prajavani
Dr Puneet Raina, DAV College
Prof Purandar Bhaduri, IIT Guwahati
Dr R Gomatam, ISIST
Dr R Swaminathan, IIT Guwahati
R. A. Subedar, Mumbai
Dr R.S. Khandpur, Retd. Govt. Service
Dr R V Hosur, Centre for Excellence in Basic
Sciences
Dr Rachana Rana, Chandigarh
Radha Viswanathan, ORF Mumbai
Dr Rafikul Alam, IIT Guwahati
Raghavender Potta Bathin, Pharmacy,
Chandigarh
Raja Bellare, Innovidya, Pune
Dr Rajeev Kumar, Panjab University
Dr Rajeev Vats, Teaching, Chandigarh
Dr Rajen K Sinha, IIT Guwahati
Rajesh Shriram Chavan, IIG
Rajiv Vartak, Adhyayan
Rajni Bhalla, Higher Education, Haryana
Dr Ram Ramaswamy, University of
Hyderabad
Dr Rama Govindarajan, TCIS-TIFR Hyderabad
Dr (Mrs.) Raman Soni, DAV College
Dr Ranjan Kumar, Teacher, Chandigarh
Ranjana Gupta, Teacher, Chandigarh
Ranjot Kaur, Research Fellow, Chandigarh
Rantu Baishya, Reporter, News Time
Capt.Richard F Sequeira, Marian Maritime
Pvt. Ltd.
Dr Robi Mokashi Punekar, IIT Guwahati
Dr Rohit Sinha, IIT Guwahati
Dr Ruchi Sharma, Chandigarh
Dr S. Chandra, Dept. of Physics, Chandigarh
Dr S. B. Santra, IIT Guwahati
Dr S. K. Nandy, IISc Bangalore
Prof Dr. S.P.Puri, Chandigarh

Lt. Gen. (Retd.) S. S Mehta, Retired Army, PIC


Dr S. S. Ray, ICTS- TIFR
Dr Sakey Shamu, BMSCE, BMSTRI, Bangalore
Dr Sambit Mallick, IIT Guwahati
Dr Sanjay Deshmukh, University of Mumbai
Sanjib Barma, IIT Guwahati
Dr Sanjib Sabhapandit, Raman Research
Institute
Sarika Mahajan, T.G.T. (Science), Chandigarh
Saroj Kumar Panigrahi, Freelancer
Sarwar Beg, Research Fellow, Chandigarh
Savita, Projavani
Dr Senthilmurugan S, IIT Guwahati
Wg Cdr (Retd) Shalak Gandhi, Dep. DG.
MCCIA, Pune
Shanti Kalipatnapu, IISER Pune
Dr Shashi Chaudhary, Panjab University
Dr Sheela Donde, IISER Pune
Shikha Lohan, Research Fellow, Chandigarh
Shiva H N Shankar, Pratham
Shivani Gupta, Edupreneur
Shobhna Dhiman, P.E.C. University of
Technology
Shoma Shrivastava, Symbiosis
Shrinivas Shastri, Govt. of Maharashtra
Siddharth Kelkar, Pune
Dr Smita, Assistant Professor, Chandigarh
Sonia Chauhan, Chandigarh
Sourabh Sharma, Maharashtra Times
Dr Spenta Wadia, ICTS-TIFR, Bangalore
Dr Srikant Shastri, JNCASR
Dr Subhash C. Mishra, IIT Guwahati
Dr Subhradip Ghosh, IIT Guwahati
Sucheta Ketkar, Ruia College
Dr Sudha Bhaskar, University of Pune
Sudhir Kumar Sharma, Chandigarh
Sudip Ghosh, ICTS- TIFR
Suhas Naik-Satam, Nehru Centre, Mumbai
Suhas Salgaonkar, Mumbai
Dr Sujatha, VJTI
Sukh Pal, Lecturer, Chandigarh
Sultana Amirali Kassam, FMJC
Dr Suman Beri, PU, Chandigarh
Sumith, ICTS- TIFR

Manifesto for Indias Future

Sunil Thakur, Education, Chandigarh


Dr Sunita Kumari, Teaching, Chandigarh
Supriya Shelar, Pune
Surbhi Goel, Panjab University
Dr Surender Kumar, Sr. Scientist 'C',
Chandigarh
Dr Surjit Karmakar, INST
Dr. Suvankar Chakravarty, INST
Dr Suvrat Raju, ICTS-TIFR, Bangalore
Sweta Puri, Research Scholar, PU,
Chandigarh
Sweta Thakur, Research Scholar, PU,
Chandigarh
T.A. Ramaswamy, Pune
Dr Tamal Banerjee, IIT Guwahati
Tanu Sharma, Research Scholar, PU,
Chandigarh
Tanu Sharma, Gita Niketan Awasiya Vidyalya,
Chandigarh
Tanil Kilachand, Indian Merchants Chamber
Uday S Panchpor, Maharashtra Knowledge
Foundation
Dr Uday Salunkhe, Welingkar Institute of
Management, Development & Research
Dr Urmi Palan, Ruia College, Mumbai
V Ranganathan, Somaiya Institute, Mumbai
Dr V V Dasu, IIT Guwahati
Varun Gupta, Research Scholar, PU,
Chandigarh
Dr Vasundhara Singh, PEC, University of
Technology
Dr Vikas Sharma, Chandigarh
Vinod Kumar Jain, Lecturer, Chandigarh
Vishal Khalde, Xeon Waste Managers
Vivek Sawant, Maharashtra Knowledge
Corporation Ltd
Dr Y.K. Anand, Edu Mgt, Chandigarh
Yogesh Swami, Kendriya Vidyalaya, IIT
Guwahati

ABBREVIATIONS OF NAMES OF
INSTITUTIONS
BHU- Banaras Hindu University
BMSCE- B. M. S. College of Engineering
CBS- Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences
CRIKC Chandigarh Region Innovation and
Knowledge Cluster
CSIO Central Scientific Instruments
Organisation
HRI Harishchandra Research Institute
ICTS-TIFR International Centre for
Theoretical Sciences
IISc Indian Institute of Science
IISER Indian Institute of Science Education
and Research
IIT Indian Institute of Technology
INST- Institute of Nano Science and
Technology
ISIST- Institute for Semantic Information
Sciences & Technology
JNCASR- Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for
Advanced Scientific Research
MCCIA- Mahratta Chamber of Commerce
Industries & Agriculture
NITTTR- National Institute of Technical
Teachers Training and Research
NCBS-TIFR National Centre for Biological
Sciences
NCCS- National Centre for Cell Science
ORF- Observer Research Foundation
PIC Pune International Centre
PU Panjab University
RRI Raman Research Institute
SPSTI Society for Promotion of Science and
Technology in India
TCIS TIFR Centre for Interdisciplinary
Sciences
TCS Tata Consultancy Services
TIFR Tata Institute of Fundamental
Research
VJTI - Veermata Jijabai Technological
Institute
XRCI- Xerox Research Centre India.

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