Reimagining the role of state universities in science education

Why in the News?                           

On the backdrop of third-anniversary of the National Education Policy  (NEP) 2020 with laudable efforts in advancing skill-based education and practical learning, the science education and training at State-affiliated colleges and universities has been subpar.

Higher Education in India:

Current status of Higher education in India:

1. India produces over 25 lakh graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) every year, accounting for the largest number of students obtaining bachelor-equivalent science degrees worldwide.
2. The no. of science graduates at the master’s level drops to 2.9 lakh (25% of BSc graduates), and even further at the doctoral level, with only 6,000 science PhDs awarded each year.
3. majority of bachelors-level science graduates in India graduate from State-affiliated colleges and universities, either via three-year BSc courses or integrated BSc-MSc programmes (4-5 years).
4. 422 out of 1,113 universities in India are public universities managed by State governments in which science courses host the 2^nd highest no. of students enrolments after arts.

Issues with the science education and training at State-affiliated colleges and universities:

1. Largely outdated Curricula and course content in BSc and other integrated programs with syllabi not addressing the skillset and Knowledge of contemporary technologies.
2. The courses offer insufficient practical training and inadequate, poorly-maintained laboratory facilities.
3. Programmes encourage students to undertake external internships, but they can hardly substitute the rigorous curricular and practical training in laboratories.

Problems faced by the State-affiliated colleges and universities:

What needs to be done?

1. Skill-based education with State-affiliated universities and colleges re-envisioned as hubs for skill-based science education.
2. teaching, training, and research in the universities should align with employability in the scientific sector.
3. BSc or integrated course curricula could focus on industry-relevant skills and certifications- programming, data analysis techniques, instrumentation and facility expertise, quality assurance, and benchmarking.
4. Longstanding collaborations with industry-Academia via seminars, apprenticeships, interactions with expert faculty members, job fairs, and funding support.
5. advancing education in regional communities, while building workforce-ready graduates – the community college and technical university models in the U.S. and Europe can be replicated in India also.