Scholars for research-based education in universities

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 26

The second day of the Amritsar Literature Festival being held by Naad Pargas at Khalsa College for Women dedicated a session to the need for developing and constituting more institutes in the field of research. Representatives of five universities across India participated in the session and univocally shared the need to have more research-based institutions of higher studies.

Peerzada Mir Ul Islam, a research scholar from Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi, said that an average research scholar in India had succumbed to the lure of earning a living and not encouraged to deeply study the social behavior and patterns. “This has adversely affected the overall educational set-up as the liberal politicisation of educational institutions has taken our universities on a downward spiral.”

Another research scholar Mohd Asad Khan from Delhi University said: “Academic researchers are social scientists at best and the process is significant for not just academic development but also individual’s development and perspective. As social scientists, researchers have to participate in the social, economic and cultural fabric of the civilisation and therefore, the government must consider giving a boost to research- based academics right from graduate level.”

Scholars from the GNDU, JNU and other educational institutions too backed the idea for establishing centers of excellence in research. The second half of the day was made interesting by stage presentation of play Firdaus, directed by Emmanual Singh and written by Prof Davinder Singh. A critical commentary on the situation in Kashmir valley prevailing after the shutdown post abrogation of Article 370, the play was appreciated for its subtle yet engaging perspective on political climate and socio-economic environment in the valley.