Impact of Indian culture onresearch productivity and innovation

Impact of Indian culture onresearch productivity and innovation

• 1.
  Impact of IndianCulture on Research Productivity and Innovation ANUP K SINGH, PHD
• 2.
  Historical Roots  Indiaproduced some of the best mathematician minds in the world  She is credited with the invention of zero and decimal system  Arabs came and spread the mathematical knowledge produced in India worldwide  For several centuries, there was no focus on knowledge and scientific rationality  During the 200 years of the British raj, there were hardly any research institutions of repute  The British education was more driven to create employees than to produce scholars and scientists  Rich Indians, who went to England for higher education, studied law, humanities and social sciences and not science and technology  Philosophical approach rather than critical approach on reality dominated Indian scholars
• 3.
  Contd…  Lack ofscientific training and temper post-independence in spite of efforts put by late Prime Minster Jawahar Lal Nehru  Several centres of excellence were created in the 50s and 60s  Focus on mission-based research; little emphasis on university research  IISc, TIFR and a few IITs stressed on mission-based research  IITs, IIMs and CISR institutes did not strongly focus on doctoral training  Most state universities were politicised and affiliating; they at best focussed on teaching  Low quality universities have created a massive racket of fake PhD degree  Obtaining of university doctoral degree is influenced by so many non-academic factors  Industry spend on Research and Development has been low  We have been far from the knowledge economy  We have had accentuated crony capitalism and feudal capitalism
• 4.
  Post-Independence Industry andR&D  Indian entrepreneurship was more driven by profit motif than by innovation  Big Indian industries made money, using crony capitalism  They did not compete on the basis of research and innovation  Most promoters were not technocrats. Those who had technical background hardly used research and innovation for enhancing competitiveness  Dominance of the industry by business families prevented research orientation; they engaged in tested businesses and avoided research and innovation  There is a yawning gap between the industry and universities  An eco-system to develop and protect intellectual capital is feeble
• 5.
  Indians in theUS  In the 60s, a large number of Indians trained in IITs, IIMs and other centres of excellence went for higher education in the US  Many of them opted for research careers in the Universities and R&D departments  In general, they excelled as scientists. They benefitted from the knowledge economy ecosystem of the United States  They could combine the best of India and the US  Later in the 90s, many IT professionals excelled as entrepreneurs and innovators  However, the same impact is yet to be felt in India
• 6.
  Child Rearing Practices Discouragement to asking questions by children  Greater emphasis on traditional belief system than on critical thinking  Lesser focus on the development of independence and independent thinking  Rote learning still prevalent  Learning by doing is conspicuous by its absence  More cultural tilt on harmony with nature than on the control of nature
• 7.
  Schooling and Research A large population of young people are deprived of primary education  Governmental focus on quantity than on quality of primary education  Poor literary and numerical achievement by students  Impoverished labs  Emphasis on rote learning  Use of ICT is abysmal  Teachers themselves lack scientific mind-set
• 8.
  Higher Education System Poor GER ratio compared to China, Brazil and Russia  Research is less emphasised in undergraduate programmes  Communication skills for scientific writing not emphasised  English language skills are less developed among scientists.  Labs for post graduate programmes in most institutions are insufficiently equipped  Lack of trained researchers at PG level  PhD work is more for degree than for knowledge generation  Plagiarism and malpractices in research are rampant  Training at PhD level is insufficient  Research eco-system in institutions is abysmal
• 9.
  Dominant Values ofIndian Culture  High power distance and dependency  High obedience to and dependence on authority and teachers  Preference of equality over excellence  Low on the values of experimentation, openness, authenticity and confrontation  More emphasis on ‘argumentation’ than on ‘observation’  Greater stress on individualism, even at the cost of professional collaboration  Soft approach to science and scientific inquiry
• 10.
  Consequences for ResearchCulture  Under playing of empirical knowledge and scientific approach to manage the problems of life  Scant availability of research leaders  Weak collegiality in institutions  Low inter-disciplinary, and team-based research work  Low communication among students and scholars  Sometimes quality is compromised in the conduct of experimentation and other studies  Lack of rigour in the conduct of research and publications  Low relevance due to poor connectivity with the industry  Less emphasis on publishing and patenting