Daily Times

There is a business-oriented culture in our institutes. That is why we find business in education but cannot find education in business. In one of my articles, I have brooded over the prevailing environment in the education sector that is business oriented. Not only in the education sector, business is unreservedlybehind the aims and objectives of every institute. Setting something implicitly behind the explicit objectives means the ultimate purpose is related to harbouring deception and could be an impediment in the way of reaping profit. It is regretfully stated that education, nowadays, has become the best tool of minting money. How can an institute be beneficial for students if its main purpose is to harvest the crop of money?

In the education sector, research plays a very constructive role in designing policies for the betterment of human beings. But despite all the efforts made to promote research in the process of development, government has failed in bringing about a social change through research. It has also failed in achieving the goal of producing useful and effective research that can undoubtedly play a positive role in knowledge development of the scientific community. Policies after policies are set to produce a large numberof PhDs and MPhils but a high degree is not the only sign of scientific success.The courses that are being taught in higher classes do not fulfil the needs of students to apprehend the process of research development. Even after hefty fees are paid in universities, they have failed at delivering the skills and understandings for research.

On the flip side, business is prevalent in the research culture. Minting money is in full swing. The research culture in universities plays a very significant role in strengthening the education sector but it has shifted to harvesting the profit. Policies set for ameliorating the education sector are worsening the system of education.Research publications are heavily payment oriented, but despite thatresearch papers are mostly ill written or shoddily conducted. As a result, they fail in contributing towards the development of society. A research study has found that in the developing countries, universities have firm teaching traditions but are week in their research culture [sic].

The publication charges set by some HEC recognised research journals are going through the ceiling. Any payment by people on different professional ranks is out of the question, but those enrolled in higher classes, PhD and MPhil, who are so far jobless, are necessarily required to have their research papers published in the HEC recognised, heavily-paid research journals. It is beyond their pocket. It isa political football.

If we truly wish to promote the research culture, the real issues concerning budgeting and funding system must be redesigned

Setting policies is not the only panacea for the issues diagnosed at various levels. What matters is that these policies are not critically looked into if they are fruitful. Research-funding agencies, researchers and universities are best suited to tackle the collective issues if they cooperate with one another. There should be a debate to bring to the fore the major stumbling blocks; all principal researchersmay make endeavours on removing these hurdles. The linkage for research commercialisation offices (ORIC), established in private and public sector universities, and timely synchronisation with funding agencies can pave the way for addressing the grave issues.

The purpose of doing research is explicable but how it has been set is inexplicable. The purpose of conducting research is to bring panacea forsocial issues for amelioration of society, but it is beyond explanationwhy the solutions towards social evils through research are charged with a hefty amount of money. It is a major obstruction.Solutions towards the real societal issues are required from researchers along with charges fixed differently.Who then could contribute in the development of society?If research is contributed, it seems as though it is either ill conducted or it is of no use, and is done just to add another item in the profile.

If we keep going in this direction, we will be unable to stand shoulder to shoulder with world-class researchers and will not be producing any valuable research work. If we truly wish to promote the research culture, the real issues concerning budgeting and funding system must be redesigned. The last but not the least, the grave issue is that students often pay hefty amounts to professional researchers to do their research projects just to be eligible for their degrees.

The writer is a member of editorial board of the Russian research journal, Bulletin of Science and Practice