'Improve research quality in higher education'

Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development and Water Resources Satyapal Singh has stressed on the need to improve quality of research in the higher education field in the country.

He was speaking after inaugurating e-digital library and a new building of the Computer Science Department at NITK in Surathkal on Saturday.

He said, “Lack of quality research in India has affected the highest education sector internationally. There is a need to bring more innovations and professionalism along with bringing in changes in PhD studies. Also, there should be coordination among different departments to take up inter-disciplinary studies.”

The minister said none of the Indian institutions is in the list of top institutions in the world. The Centre wants to set up 20 international standard institutes in the next 10 years, he added.

Later during an interaction with the students, he said, “There is no problem in the admission of students to educational institutions. But the Education Rights Act has no clause to take action against those parents who force the students to discontinue their studies from schools. The country has 15 lakh teachers who do not have any proper training. The Centre is mulling to set up a training institute to train teachers.”

Stressing on research in Basic Sciences, he said the Centre will support such research.

To a question from a student from Bastar in Chattisgarh, Satyapal Singh said, “Maoists do not believe in the Constitution. They are trying to come to power using guns. There is a need to defeat their ideology to find a solution to Maoists’ menace in the country.”

NITK Governing Board President Prof H Balaveer Reddy, Director Uma Maheshwar Rao and others were present.

The new e-library complex of Central Library of NITK, Surathkal has advanced IT-based state-of-the-art facilities, two cyber libraries, research discussion rooms, seminar halls, digital reading rooms accessible 24X7 along with cafeteria within e-library complex.

The Computer Science Department building has been built at an estimate of Rs 33.06 crore.