Higher education institutions face a major challenge balancing teaching and research duties. The National Education Policy 2020 suggests three types of institutions to manage this. While universities focus on research, many colleges struggle with heavy teaching loads. Experts say senior professors should mentor young students to help bridge this gap.
One of the major challenges faced by higher education institutions (HEIs) globally is whether to focus on teaching or research. There are three core issues: Should colleges and universities try to do justice to teaching and conducting research, and is such a compromise feasible? Second, is engaging in research, especially high-end research, more prestigious than classroom teaching, which is usually talked about in terms of ‘load’? Third, do brilliant teachers automatically turn into exceptional researchers and, conversely, are outstanding researchers excellent teachers as well?
Three types
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 talks about three types of institutions: Research-intensive universities, teaching-intensive universities, and autonomous degree-granting colleges. While all three should undertake teaching and pursue research, the quantum of teaching and how research is pursued and promoted differ widely across the spectrum of institutions. Affiliated and constituent colleges, especially those that offer only UG programmes, have modest aspirations. The faculty’s heavy workload, the lack of research infrastructure and ecosystem, and their commitment to shouldering multiple academic and administrative roles leave very little scope to conduct research. Autonomous colleges are better in terms of research; though the faculty have a heavy teaching load, they still undertake research, as projects, publications, and research guidance are mandatory for their upward mobility. Universities, on the contrary, have to conduct quality research, as it is their mandate to push the frontiers of knowledge and come up with new insights and theories.
Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767-1835), who established the University of Berlin in 1810 and is considered the founding spirit of the modern European university, envisaged universities as the ideal platform for advancing research. In fact, western HEIs, starting with The Johns Hopkins University in the U.S., are modelled on the Humboldtian paradigm of research-intensive universities. This does not imply that universities should shun teaching altogether. But in most western universities, teaching undergraduates is left largely to adjuncts and teaching assistants. In India too, in many universities, UG teaching has become the burden of doctoral students and the young faculty who are still finding their feet in the higher education stream. Senior professors should come forward to ignite young minds, identify and mentor bright minds, especially in terms of research.
Research and ranking
It is a fact that, in India and in the West, conducting research is considered more prestigious and profitable compared to teaching, especially UG teaching. Whether it is recruitment, self-appraisal, or institutional assessment, or accreditation and ranking done by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) or the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), research is a key component and crucial for boosting the institution’s grade and ranking. Globally, THE World University Rankings, QS World University Rankings, and the Academic Ranking of World Universities place significant emphasis on research alongside teaching.
While talking about the research-teaching nexus, excellence in one domain does not necessarily guarantee excellence in the other. Brilliant teachers are not always outstanding researchers and, conversely, highly competent researchers are not always smart teachers. Richard Feynman is a preeminent example of being an exceptional researcher as well as a teacher. Venki Ramakrishnan is another extraordinary scientist and brilliant communicator. But these are exceptions.
The frontiers of knowledge have to be constantly redefined and reconfigured, for the world is facing unprecedented challenges. New concepts, theories, and paradigms have to be generated and disseminated to address upcoming challenges. The trade-off between teaching and research in academia will persist, but the stakes increasingly favour research.
Views expressed are personal.
The writer is Emeritus Professor, Gandhigram Rural Institute, Gandhigram, Tamil Nadu