Application for Opening an IISER/NISER/NISc in Bihar

GOVT. OF INDIA, NEW DELHI
December 14,2006

Sub: Regarding establishment of an IIScER/NISER/NISc in Bihar

Sir,

@@The matter we like to place, with due esteem, is related to opening of@Indian Institute of Science for Education and Research (IISER)/National Institute of Science(NISc)/National Institute of Science Education and Research(NISER) in Bihar. The concept of NISc was coined by the last central government as it declared to open four NIScs across the country (respectively at Pune, Allahabad, Bhubaneshwar, and Chennai) in December 2003, however, it was not implemented. The current central government has opened so far three IISERs@and one NISER across the country and to the best of our knowledge suggestions@for opening three more IISERs have been made by the Scientific Advisory Council to Hon'ble PM. Our demand for opening and IISER/NISc has not been entertained yetAhowever, many applications/petions have been sent to hon'ble President, PMO, MHRD etc. since 2004. Fortunately, on March 28, 2006, Hon'ble president while addressing joint session of legislatures of Bihar also emphasized need of institute like an IISER, IIT etc for the improvement of status of higher education in Bihar which can be observed in his ten-point prescriptions for the development of Bihar as under:

"Education and entrepreneurship: 75\% literacy by 2010
and 100\% by 2015. Integrated education and entrepreneurship
from the secondary to higher education segment. Bihar should
also aim at IIT, IISc-RE. All the university examination will
be conducted regularly in time. Higher education should lead
to employment generators for the state instead of employment
seekers"
(Taken from Hon'ble President's speech delivered to joint
legislatures of Bihar, March 2006.)

However, till today central government has not taken notice of this and we doubt that the matter of opening an IISER in Bihar may become obsolete@if due attention is not fetched for. There can be given many pro arguments for needs and justifications for opening an IISER like institute of higher education in Bihar, however, we like to place@a few facts in this regard as follows:

1. Bihar is deserted of national educational institutes. In the name of national institute, Bihar has a National Institute of Technology, Patna which is in infancy. It is well-known that in Bihar there is not a single institution like Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Research laboratories of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Laboratory of Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), Central University or other institutes of national and international reputes. List of institutes of national repute can be seen at
@@@(http://www.ugc.ac.in/inside/utype.php?st=Institute\%20of\%20National\%20Importance.)
2. It will be not out of place to mention that while opening institutes like IISER union government is overlooking the matter of regional imbalance in the distribution of higher educational institutes as well as central funds across the country as pointed out in the India Science report 2005. Bihar is the state for which central government's fund for higher education is the least (about Rs.1.05 on each person, if in Delhi it is Rs.100). However, hon'ble PM has shown his deep concern on the matter of such regional imbalances and has always been speaking in public to minimize it and can be observed in his speech as under:

"Yet, we still have the skeptics, the worriers and the critics. Some have genuine concerns about change, others continue to be prisoners of the past. Today, when I look back, I am even more convinced that I was correct to observe in my first budget speech in 1991 that the idea of the emergence of India as a front ranking economic powerhouse of the world economy was an idea whose time had indeed come. I had then added, quoting Victor Hugo that no power on earth can stop an idea whose time had come. I must amend that to say that if there is any power that can still stop this idea of a resurgent India, it is ourselves. I believe that there are no external constraints now to India's growth and whatever constraints are there, are internal; constraints imposed by our polity, our social structures, our regional imbalances, our ability to handle inequity, and our ability to take hard, but essential decisions."

However, the case of Bihar has not been considered yet in this spirit.

3. As per India Science Report 2005, the number of Bihari students migrating to other states for the higher studies in science may be somewhere less than 0.6\%. This happens due to imbalance in distribution of such institutes. Getting higher education outside is costlier and every aspirant cannot afford it despite his/her will to continue higher education in science. Such migration of students also leads to the development of infrastructure to states where they study. The establishment of such an institute will increase percentage of students from Bihar seeking higher education in science. The unavailability of institutes like IISER of higher education and research also forbid students from other parts of the country to immigrate here for education. This dispels Bihar from national and international educational streams and state remains known for its ugly faces to the rest of the country.

4. Bihar shares higher percentage of non-scientific and technical workforce of the country. As per India Science Report, Bihar comes under BIMARU group of states and keeps 8.9\% of non scientific and non-technical workforce of the country. With such a huge unskilled population, Bihar sits on top in this regard!

5. While addressing joint session of the legislatures of Bihar and also Bihar Chamber of Commerce in March, 2006, Hon'ble President has also emphasized the need establishment of IISER, IIT like institutes in his10-points prescription to develop Bihar. In the light of the same I have talked with hon'ble union minister for S&T, through BBC on April 2, 2006, who also opined that in Bihar such institute must be opened.

6. The benefits of such institutes in locality are numerous but Bihar remains unaware of such benefits. Institute like IISER will help in improving conditions of the local universities and create awareness for science education and research among teachers and students. It will accelerate process of industrialization. Establishment of IISER in Bihar will be a step towards minimization of prevailing regional imbalance in the distribution of educational institutes across the country. Very recently, on the 6th Oct. 2006,while speaking at the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of the National Academy of Sciences Hon'ble PM again remarked the missing link of research and teaching in science which can be observed under

"I draw your attention to this fact because we do see today a disconnect between research and teaching in the sciences. Research has increasingly been concentrated in specialized institutes. The university system is unable to mobilize adequate financial and intellectual resources in support of creative research and development effort. The resulting divorce between teaching and research hampers the growth of the spirit of inquisitiveness and enquiry among students coming out of our universities. We need teachers who will inspire their students by operating on the frontiers of knowledge. Then alone can we realize the full creative potential of our students. I have spoken often, in recent months, about my concerns in this regard. It is my sincere intention to once again restore this link between research and teaching in our universities, especially in the frontier areas of knowledge."

7. Big institutions act like a magnet which can keep learned people of the society in the society. This will control, to some extent, internal as well as external brain drain. Lacking of this, Bihar is depleted of its own skilled human resources as well as of their contributions. This effects development of Bihar reciprocally.@Local benefits of big institutes are numerous and important. The existence of educational institutes of repute in proximity increases awareness among people for the quality education, act as a centre for interaction between local university teachers and excellent researchers of national and international repute. Lot of employed teachers in different universities of Bihar do not move for training program and Quality Improvement Program (QIP) because such facilities are available in the reputed institutes and are far from their working place. The existence of big institutes also improves inclination for research among employed faculties. Due to lack of such interactions, teachers have to rely on their own experience of knowledge which in turn compels teaching to run under the strategy of chalk-talk-rote-routine which is never good in university education. Availability of big institution in locality can tackle these problems and inspire or open eyes of both the teachers and learners.

8. It has been argued by many policy makers that the higher education system of the Bihar is on the down hill journey and is not conducive to foster and grow institution like IISER. It can be accepted that health of the higher education system of Bihar is poor but at the same time it should not be leaved out that central funding has been very poor, state suffered internal and external brain drain of skilled persons due to lack of opportunities, despite contributing and supporting with ample natural resources to the rest of country, it failed to embed national developmental programs for higher education. Such arguments are like saying what come first the egg or the chicken and can't be justified. Consistent neglect by state and central government has created soft misery to the higher education system of Bihar and can be restored by taking suitable measures such as opening new higher educational institutes like IISER, IIT, increasing funding to state and by providing opportunity@to explore different realms of sciences and technologies. Our past was not bad. Land of Bihar has produced many well known figures in different areas of knowledge. So denial of IISER on basis of such arguments will further deepen misery of the state's higher education system and will be in tune with a well-known saying in Hindi that
(Suta na Kapas aur Julaha se Latha Lathee)

With these facts we like to request to open an IISER/NISc/NISER in Bihar.

Thanking you