Saima Salim
they are doubtful about their future and the sustainabil-
ity of what this eld has to offer in their home country.
Scholarships and stipends are very attractive in western
countries strongly suggesting that those at the helm of
affairs dosome introspection on why we have failed to
build world class institutes. Many students at state uni-
versities are receiving a substandard education (Padma,
2015). “Here, there are no good science teachers, no good
Indian textbooks, and most of the science laboratories
are poorly equipped. The lack of interest and passion
of research is losing its charm and is surely re ected.
“We are caught in a vicious circle of mediocrity,” says
geneticist Deepak Pental, former vice-chancellor of the
University of Delhi (Padma, 2015).
There is over-bureaucratization and lobbying within
the universities and their controlling bodies” (Pusaria,
2015). The process of fresh recruitment is bizarrely
lengthy, and it takes two years to recruit an academic
after announcing an open post, which means that
the best applicants can slip away. “Lack of even bare,
minimal and sustainable funds for teaching, let alone
research, has seriously plagued the quality and standards
of science education,” says Krishna Ganesh, a chemist
and director of the Indian Institute of Science Education
and Research in Pune, one of ve top universities set up
in India since 2006. And to add the regulations govern-
ing the formation, nancing and functioning of these
organizations are murkier than what is believed.
Council of Scienti c and Industrial Research(CSIR),
an autonomous body and the largest research and devel-
opment (R&D) organization in India. It runs 37 labora-
tories and 39 eld stations or extension centers spread
across the nation, with a collective staff of over 17000
(source; Wikipedia). The governmental stance has begun
to affect some elite national research institutes, too. Of
the 38 national laboratories that are part of the CSIR,
only 25 have full-time directors. The rest are making do
with acting directors, or temporary arrangements.
Even the CSIR headquarters in New Delhi has been
without a full-time leader since January 2014. Interim
director-general Madhukar Garg says that “the current
situation is indeed challenging (Sharma, 2015). CSIR is
the backbone of scienti c and technological research in
the country. In case the prevailing scenario continues, it
will affect the national innovation system as a whole.”
(Sharma, 2015). The current budgets of almost all sci-
enti c departments have either been slashed or are just
stagnating. Furthermore, the practice of temporary or
adhoc recruitment in governance of scienti c institu-
tions is adding up to build distort. (Sharma, 2015).
The major chunk of research is still being conducted
in academic institutes that are being run by the govern-
ment funded projects. This dependence on government
money has been one of the leading causes to diminish the
overall ambience of the scienti c community in India.
Sadly, the scientists and academicians have a pessimistic
sentiment about their inventions as the patents received
throughgovernmentsupported schemes andfellowships
are sold to private companies for huge sums and the
other major industrial players don’t support any R&D
activity other than for their in- house projects. In west-
ern countries, it is vice versa. Private companies provide
the huge share of funding for research.
With this prevailing sentiment amongst the scienti c
youth it is likely that the trend of brain drain will con-
tinue to rise unless a major change happens to halt this
ef ux. On a ip side, there are some signs that India
might be slowing its crippling brain drain, however the
chances are bleak. Although the vast majority of Indi-
ans who obtain science doctorates in the United States
remain there for at least 5 years after graduation, the
proportion has declined: from 89% in 2001 to 82% in
2011, the most recent year for which data are available
(Mervis, 2014). There are many who return back to their
home lands. Kaustuv Datta, a geneticist at Delhi Univer-
sity South Campus, is one of those who returned. “My
parents are here, in India. And academics have a strong,
positive in uence on the next generation of students,”
says Datta. “I wanted to make that contribution in India”
(Padma, 2015).
The phrase ‘Knowledge is Power’ might have orig-
inated with in the 16th century and it’s as old as
time. Today as we stay, we need to have a concerted
progress and clarity of goals. India’s educational system
fails to instill into young Indians a dynamic awareness
and understanding of their country’s achievements. In
present scenario, our crumbling educational and research
framework requires serious uphauling, from successive
increase in plan allocations for scienti c departments, to
setting up of new institutions for science education and
research, creation of centers of excellence and facili-
ties in emerging and frontline areas in academic and
national institutes, induction of new and attractive fel-
lowships and strengthening R&D infrastructure in uni-
versities. Turning brain drain into brain gain requires
creation of appropriate opportunities at certain critical
stages in the progression of a scienti c career.
On the contrary the picture in the west, especially
US is not rosy either. The pattern reaching back over
the years demonstrate how the US scienti c produce has
reached a stand point- a state of saturation with fewer
jobs, more unemployment, and more post-doc work -
especially in the sciences. A post doc essentially trans-
lates into toiling as a low-paid lab hand. In short, job
prospects for young science Ph.Ds haven’t been look-
ing so hot these last few years, not only in the life sci-
ences, which have been weak for some time, but also in
elds like engineering (Powell, 2012). So, its high time,
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