Lack of focus on research work is "disturbing": Ansari

Vice President Hamid Ansari today said universities in the country were "overburdened" with providing undergraduate and postgraduate education, and the lack of focus on research work was "disturbing".
"A disturbing phenomenon is the lack of focus on research with only one per cent of the enrolled students pursuing research in various areas," Ansari said at the convocation of Lucknow University here.
"Traditional universities are so overburdened with imparting undergraduate and postgraduate education and managing the affiliation system that they are not able to focus on research," he said, citing a report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resource Development.

According to a 2009 data, India stood 11th in terms of number of papers published, 17th in the terms of number of citations and 34th in terms of number of citation per paper, he said.
"Our research output as global share of scientific publications was mere 3.5 per cent compared to 21 per cent of China. The total number of patent applications filed by Indians in 2010 comprised only 0.3 per cent of the total applications filed globally," he said.
He said that India has the third largest education system in the world yet less than one-fifth students were enrolled in higher education institutions which was well below the world average of 26 per cent.

Ansari said the picture was no better in social sciences and humanities. "Wide disparities still exist in enrolment percentages among the states and between rural and urban areas. Disadvantaged sections of the society, including SC, ST, minorities and women, have significantly lower enrolment that the national average," he said.
"At the same time, we have yet to create sufficient capacity by way of skills training to accommodate those who cannot or would not proceed for higher education," he said.