National Institutes of Sciences
India has an opportunity to become the global
R & D Hub. For this, the most important intervention would
be to selectively and preferentially raise the standards of
science education for a small section of bright students
taking up science because overall status of science education
suffer from severe handicaps. This is essential not only to
meet the requirement high quality people in science to man and
lead out national lab system and mission oriented agencies
that is likely to face crisis in coming years due to large
number of senior people retiring, but also to move up the
value chain in global R & D services, where India is
favourably positioned. This would also provide a new Model of
Science Education in the Country. Therefore, it is proposed
that a number of new science institutes (to begin with four)
may be set-up at different places in the country to be the
Centres of Excellence in Science Education. These institutes
would occupy prime position in the area of science education
as IITs and IIMs occupy for technology and management
education in the global setting today.
These institutes would be established at Allahabad
near Allahabad
University, at Chennai near Anna University, at Pune near Pune
University and at Bhuvaneshwar
near Utkal University. They would primarily offer integrated
five-year basic and applied science education programme,
leading to a Masters Degree and would have linkages with
National research labs science agencies and industry right
from their inception. With a view to ensure that these
Institutes come up fast, these will be incubated as a part of
the existing premier universities. Though, these Institutes
would be, for all purposes, autonomous institutions of the
Link Universities with full academic, administrative and
financial autonomy. Although the link university will award
educational and research degrees to the scholars and students
of this Institute in the initial phase, these Institutes will
have complete and total freedom to lay down their courses,
frame suitable course structure, method of teaching and
evaluation. This organic link with the Link universities would
be very crucial in the initial phases. Established
Universities would help to nurture the Institute till they
mature to be on their own.
Formal announcement for setting up of these
Institutes was made by HE President of India on December 28,
2003 on occasion of the concluding ceremony of the Golden
Jubilee of the UGC. Academic, administrative and financial
details have been worked out and the proposal is in the
approval process.
See Also Detailed Project
Report. (pdf)
Any enquiries or suggestions on this
initiative may be addressed to In-charge, New Initiatives
& FA (UGC), University Grants Commission (UGC), Bahadur
Shah, Zafar Marg, New Delhi -110002. You can reach him at pagarwal@ugc.ac.in
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