The Importance of research in Higher Educational Institutions

If we try to understand the history of evolution of human civilization then we will must have to come across the innumerable number of discoveries and inventions responsible for providing us an exemplary comfortable lifestyle. This glamorous modern era is actually a transition of human life from Stone Age to a scientific age. Had it not been the inquisitive minds working everywhere throughout the world, the plentiful comforts would have remained a myth. When we look back through the windows of history, we understand the importance of research in our lives. Who must do research is a big question and a matter of big fights especially in the educational Institutions across India. Obviously, the people who read, write, observe keenly, analyze every action and inaction of his surrounding acquires knowledge, wisdom which more often compels him to do research in the field of his/her interest. If a person tries to change a thing in the society for its benefit then he/she can achieve the goal by doing research. Doing research is indeed gives an opportunity to explore the possibilities, to understand the existing issues and to disclose truths.

The higher education system in India faces various constraints and challenges to upgrade itself at par with the globalized trends. Apart from a few reputed institutes, no other institutes in India could acquire a rank in global lists of excellent institutions. This is because, not many institutes possess any mandatory goals to achieve excellence for individual faculty, and most do not have adequate systems or infrastructure for quality research. The recruitment procedures of the faculty members are also very often remains faulty due to societal and governmental constraints.  The lack of an encouraging academic environment, ill-equipped libraries, labs and equipment, inadequate infrastructure, lack of funds, etc are some of the factors contributing to the dismal picture of research in Indian academic institutions. The inquisitiveness to do research leads to the quest for establishing a good laboratory, searching for similar minds and full dedication of the minds to do something wonderful for the benefits of students and society.

“Knowledge generated by research is the basis of sustainable development, which requires that knowledge be placed at the service of development, be converted into applications, and be shared to ensure widespread benefits,”                                                                                                        – Mary-Louise Kearney, Director of the UNESCO Forum on Higher Education, Research and Knowledge.

The quality of research work directly translates to the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom, thereby benefiting the students, the society and the country. The promotion of research in a huge and diverse country like India can be done through the higher educational institutions, the importance of doing research reaches to every minds by organizing seminars, conferences and workshops on the recent trends in every field which will help the nation ultimately to evolve as a knowledge reservoir in the international arena.

History of engineering may not be a well discussed subject as yet, but a deep thought will support the idea of teaching and preaching of history of engineering to students. The modern lifestyle , be it is about the transport, constructions, materials,  engines, aero planes, electricity or light, all are the contributions of great inventions and discoveries by legendary scientists.  It is well-accepted fact that academic research has contributed enormously to find solutions to many problems faced by our society and industries. There have been multiple instances when industries have turned to academicians for finding solutions to vital issues. The need for sharing knowledge between research institutions and industry has become increasingly evident. The emerging importance of interdisciplinary fields has given rise to institutional collaborations that allow knowledge to be pooled together.

“Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.” – Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

The fervor of doing research is now taking the pace in Indian higher education institutions as there are lot of pressure from the central government to establish world class universities and institutions. To become a global phenomenon in education field the faculty members must be well versed with the recent trends in their fields, good communication skills to take their research findings to different platforms to attract efficient scientists for collaborative and interdisciplinary works. To enhance the research practice in every higher education institutions, the different regulatory authorities of India  has made it mandatory to celebrate Annual Research Day to show the achievements of the faculty and students in the research field. It is a very good initiative as an ocean can be built by accumulating the drops. The betterment of the nation lies in the better universities and institutions. Let this flavor continues to develop a research culture  and India gets more scientists and entrepreneurs in near future.