A commenter on my previous blog entry enquired about the quality of graduate students in India, a question which is fundamentally important for those planning a research-based academic career in India.
This issue merits a separate post.
Note for the reader: My take on this issue is entirely research institute/IIX* institute centric. Also, much of what I say is based on personal experience and perception and is not necessarily backed up by statistical data.
First, let us briefly look at the different ways in which students in India aspiring to be scientists enter graduate study.
This issue merits a separate post.
Note for the reader: My take on this issue is entirely research institute/IIX* institute centric. Also, much of what I say is based on personal experience and perception and is not necessarily backed up by statistical data.
First, let us briefly look at the different ways in which students in India aspiring to be scientists enter graduate study.
1) Right after high school, students enroll in one of the very strong 5 year Integrated MSc programs offered by the IITs, at the end of which they get a Bachelor's and Master's degree in their field of specialization. The entrance exam for IITs, the famous JEE is very competitive and the strong and challenging course work at IITs adequately prepares students for pursuing a PhD**. However, most students, after getting this degree typically go to top-tier research universities in North America or Europe for their PhD. Starting 2006, the IISERs have also been offering integrated MS programs in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics and Earth Sciences. ***
2) After getting a Bachelor's degree from one of the universities in India, students can join one of the IITs for a Master's program. MSc programs offered by IITs are fairly strong. Typically, students in these programs are enthusiastic and sincere. However, their undergraduate preparation may not have been as strong as those of undergraduates at IITs **** and they have to essentially unlearn and relearn most of what they did in their undergraduate programs. After MSc, many students pursue PhD abroad, but many also stay back and join one of the IIX institutes or research institutes for a PhD.
3) After obtaining a Master's degree in one of the universities, students can apply directly for a PhD program at the institutes under consideration. To be eligible for applying for a PhD program in these institutes, candidates usually have to take the UGC/CSIR National Eligibility Test and qualify for a Junior Research Fellowship. There are also other equivalent exams which are recognized by different institutes, for example JEST. After this, most institutes will hold their own entrance exams or interviews for selecting their students.
In the current scenario, a faculty member at a research/IIX institute in India will most probably supervise graduate students coming in from Categories 2 or 3 above. One common underlying factor in supervising these students is that their previous university education may not have adequately prepared them for higher research. Many of my colleagues, ranging from those at the top-notch institutes to those at the newer ones have agreed to this issue. The deficiencies in undergraduate education in Indian universities is now a nationally recognized problem and one of the most important issues being addressed by higher bodies like the Indian Academy of Sciences.
I have not yet supervised a PhD student. However, as I look forward to supervising my first student in the coming semester, I have been thinking a lot about these issues. I have observed over the years the approach of my colleagues and erstwhile professors towards student supervision. Their approach would roughly fall into one of the two categories:
a) The visionary educator's approach: Recognize and accept this problem as it is. To get around it, set very high standards for your students from Day 1, convince them that it is their responsibility to overcome the deficiencies in their preparation and extend full support to them in their endeavour to do so.
b) The deadwood jerk's approach: Recognize this problem. To get around it, either refuse to supervise students or torture the one student you have chosen to supervise by continuously reminding him or her about his or her lack of preparation, until the student quits. If you happen to teach a graduate course, remind your hapless students all the time about how they are no match for the creamy layer who goes abroad. Spend a few hours in your institute tea shop everyday complaining to colleagues about the mediocrity of students and everything else that is wrong with India. After all, this is a perfect way to hide your own lack of productivity.
Many of my Indian readers will most probably identify at least one colleague/former instructor known to them who follows the second approach. However, (fortunately) a new faculty member at a science institute in India today (especially at one of the new ones) does not have the option of following in those footsteps. We are expected to actively supervise PhD students and train scientists urgently needed in a rapidly expanding knowledge-based economy and in a country where even institutes of the stature of IITs are struggling with a huge faculty shortage.
I strongly believe that students in categories 2 and 3 above are eager, willing and sincere, but may have been conditioned by a system over which they had little control. It is to their credit that instead of succumbing to negativity and exhaustion, they have retained a desire to do science and if they have come this far, there is no reason why they won't go further if provided with encouragement, guidance and the necessary resources.
Footnotes
* IIX is a generic term which refers to IITs, IISc, IISERs etc. I also include the Indian Statistical Institutes in this category.
Many of my Indian readers will most probably identify at least one colleague/former instructor known to them who follows the second approach. However, (fortunately) a new faculty member at a science institute in India today (especially at one of the new ones) does not have the option of following in those footsteps. We are expected to actively supervise PhD students and train scientists urgently needed in a rapidly expanding knowledge-based economy and in a country where even institutes of the stature of IITs are struggling with a huge faculty shortage.
I strongly believe that students in categories 2 and 3 above are eager, willing and sincere, but may have been conditioned by a system over which they had little control. It is to their credit that instead of succumbing to negativity and exhaustion, they have retained a desire to do science and if they have come this far, there is no reason why they won't go further if provided with encouragement, guidance and the necessary resources.
Footnotes
* IIX is a generic term which refers to IITs, IISc, IISERs etc. I also include the Indian Statistical Institutes in this category.
** There's also the famous and competitive BStat program offered by the Indian Statistical Institute, whose graduates pursue research careers in the mathematical and statistical sciences in large numbers.
*** The first batch of the IISERs will graduate in 2011. It is not clear yet what future course of action these students intend to take, but I will be writing about it in detail later.
****They are continuously reminded of this fact by their instructors, though I really don't see why students are to blame for this.
5 comments:
Hi, I'm the commenter from the previous post. Thanks for writing about this.
I just wanted to say a few things on this subject.
First, I'm very very very far from searching for a job. Thanks for the best wishes but I'll ask for them again some years later! :-)
Also, I was a category 2 guy and I think I did reasonably well with my M.Sc - I managed push a few decent papers out and did enough to get into some "top-tier" US universities. I think this shows that there is some hope for doing decent work with folks like me.
In my experience some faculty at the institution I went to had a lot of preconceived notions about what the students role was and what their role was. There were some professors who wouldn't even answer perfectly reasonable and direct questions. They would reply with stuff like "you find out", "you think" etc. This was hugely frustrating to me as a student because the only reason I was asking the questions was I thought about it and couldn't figure it out. Sure, the student has to work to learn, but doesn't the professor also have some stake in the learning process? If the professors had at least given out a hint or some further reading it would've helped but he didn't.
Fortunately, my advisor was not like this - he is also foreign educated - which might explain why.
One surprising thing I saw at the institute I went to was that the professors who were actually most encouraging to students who wanted to go the US to study for a PhD were the ones who managed to retain most of them!
I want to say again that I'm very glad you're writing the blog and sincerely wish you all the best in your academic career.
The other thing I forgot to mention wrt to the "deadwood jerk" type of professor, was the tendency of some professors to be out and out insulting. There were a few professors who would mercilessly mock students who said something incorrect. I still get upset whenever I think of those instances even though I was never at the receiving end of them.
Interestingly, this professor was no "deadwood" in the sense that he had a fairly active research program and is probably internationally renowned for this. I really didn't understand what he was trying to achieve besides turn away students from his classes.
Hi Anon,
Glad to hear from you again. I can understand your point of view because I am also a category 2 person and guess what, so are most people entering the academic job market in India right now! It's awesome that you worked hard in grad school and have done so well for yourself!
I guess we've all suffered through the deadwood jerks at our respective institutions :-) (I called them deadwood just to be mean)
I try to see my experience with them as a lesson of how NOT to behave with students.
What these profs failed to realize was that whether they approved of this or not, those very students are today placed in responsible positions and will be playing a huge role in science education in India.
Senior scientists cannot enjoy the luxury of sitting back at a distance and being critical. Instead of longing for the elusive dream students they never had, their job is to adequately train students that they DO have and prepare them for the role they have to play in this landscape.
Fortunately, our academic establishment has held up all these years and is looking forward because of the committed visionary profs (like your supervisor) who have understood the need of the hour, stayed focused and done a great job preparing future scientists and educators.
Hi Academic Garden:
I was also a type-2 who got to work with a really great visionary adviser at IIX institute, who helped me get into a top tier US uni for PhD.
I hope that you become a really cool visionary prof!
With respect to the anon, from my experience at IIX, a lot of the MTech/MSc students really did not appreciate the effort the profs put in to make you "learn" the stuff the correct way....my first sem at IIX was a crash course of my 4 years of BE, done the right way. It was hard, the profs worked harder, but only about 5-6 students appreciated the new knowledge/ worked hard. That depresses me :(
Hi Kaushik,
Thanks for writing about your MSc/MTech experience. Indeed, we are all grateful to the professors who worked very hard so that we could fill the gaps in our learning process and grow out of our weaknesses.
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