Why neglect humanities and social sciences?
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Time to revive institutions in humanities education
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Shreesh Chaudhary
IISc, Bangalore celebrated its centenary in 2007-08. IIT, Kharagpur celebrated its golden jubilee in 2004-05. IIT, Bombay did so in 2008-09. Yearlong golden jubilee celebrations will end at IIT, Madras in July 2009. IIT, Delhi and IIT, Kanpur may follow.
The English & Foreign Languages University (EFLU), former CIEFL, Hyderabad, and many other deemed universities and institutions in humanities and social sciences are also about 50 now. But they are not as visible. Why are Indian science and technology institutions (STIs) known globally and Indian institutions of humanities and social sciences (HSIs) are not, even when we have a tradition of humanities and social sciences? There are three reasons — structural, financial and managerial. Except in the very recent past, STIs have experienced little political interference. People like A. L. Mudaliar, Homi Bhabha, Vikram Sarabhai, H. N. Sethna, Darshan Singh Kothari, M. J. K. Menon, Raja Ramanna, C. N. R. Rao, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, M. S. Swaminathan, Kasturi Rangan and Russy Modi have been on their boards and have protected their charge.
Lack of autonomy
HSIs, on the other hand, have not been so lucky. Hardly a humanist of the calibre of S. Radhakrishnan is available, or likely to be appointed Vice Chancellor, or even as a member of the university executive council today. HSIs do not have the autonomy of the STIs. No one knows why CIEFL became EFLU one fine morning, and why its mandate was changed from research and teacher training in foreign language pedagogy to graduate and undergraduate teaching done by any number of other colleges in and beyond Hyderabad.
STIs make all appointments without reference to the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD). HSIs have to seek sanction, often go through the UPSC and even the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity of the Government of India, to announce a vacancy. Consequences have been disastrous and world class institutions have been reduced to the shadow of their own ghosts. STIs, besides MHRD funds, receive substantial amounts from other ministries and national bodies.
An IIT spends nearly Rs 300 crore annually of the government money, besides donations from alumni and grants from foreign agencies, industry, and NGOs. HSIs have only MHRD crumbs. STIs award as many research fellowships as the number of eligible candidates. IIT, Madras alone takes nearly 300 research scholars every year. For over 300 universities, the UGC selects fewer than 300 research scholars annually.
HSIs, therefore, do not attract graduates of sufficient merit in sufficient numbers to their research programmes. HSIs provide a poor work environment to their faculty. Their offices, computers, libraries, phones, faxes and vehicles are always inadequate and antiquated. With the exception of JNU, professors at HSIs receive lower salaries than their counterparts at STIs.
Indian STIs may not be the last word in probity, they may not have made great teams, but they have made enough decently functioning ones. That a test like Joint Entrance Examination for admission to the IITs has gone on without a scandal for over 40 years in a country like India — counted among the top ten corrupt countries — is a huge compliment to the systems STIs have created and maintain.
Save the HSIs
The humanities and social sciences community of India could not save one American Studies Research Centre at Hyderabad, in spite of decades of support from the U.S. Government. The Indian Institute of Advanced Study at Shimla, the result of a dream of the likes of S. Radhakrishnan, has a rather long list of fellows who enjoyed its hospitality without turning in a script. HSIs have become back numbers, proud only of the past. STIs only help create skills.
For using that skill for the community and with wisdom, we need a culture that can only be created by HSIs.
The neglect of HSIs hastened the decline of Eastern European countries, once seats of great work in philosophy, sciences, music and mathematics. India must revive and create more world class HSIs with funds, autonomy and management so that HSIs can also celebrate their jubilees, and they have something to celebrate.
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