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6.
SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS
General
Recommendations
Functioning
of Colleges and Universities
Universities
and colleges should satisfy the minimum requirement of running
on schedule in all respects.
Properly
implemented continuous teacher training programmes must
be established.
Council
urges adoption of a three-stream system of university education
in science, along the lines set out in Section 4 of the
text.
It
is urged that new institutions or centres created should
be within the overall university system, but administratively
independent and autonomous.
Academic
cooperation between educational institutions and national
laboratories should be strongly encouraged, including joint
research and teaching programmes and identification of adjunct
faculty.
Role
of Government Agencies and Industry
Funding
of colleges and universities must improve, and quality science
education centres should be started at a few places at least.
Accreditation
of science departments in universities and colleges, to
be reviewed periodically, should be carried out by an autonomous
central body.
The
pioneering efforts of DBT in the life sciences, and NBHM
in mathematics, should be expanded upon and emulated by
other major agencies such as DAE, DOE ' ISRO and DST; these
agencies should support selected M.Sc. programmes in basic
sciences, without early specialisation.
Individual
industries and industry associations with common interests
should award scholarships at the P.G. level, and support
laboratories with funds and supplies. International agencies
like UNESCO should also be approached for similar support.
Wide
publicity should be given to all educational opportunities,
aid to career opportunities in industry and elsewhere for
science degree holders.
Academy
Initiatives
Efforts
by the Academy through the Fellowship
An
Academy Committee will be set up to study how the twin aims
of equity and excellence may be achieved by a suitably reoriented
system of science education.
The
Academy will commission the preparation of two volumes to
indicate what the desirable levels are in each area of science
for a student at the B.Sc. and M.Sc. levels, and at the
threshold of research. The volumes could also describe course
combinations and careers.
The
Academy will commission the writing of monographs and lecture
note's as necessary at different levels.
The
Academy will commission documentation on 100 experiments
in each of the basic sciences, using inexpensive commonly
available materials, with the objective of bringing out
principles in an appealing way.
The
Academy will cooperate with or sponsor production of science
programmes using the electronic media, possibly also in
regional languages and using "alternative" teaching methods.
The
Academy will periodically assess the state of affairs in
the country in each of the basic sciences, and publish its
findings, along with recommendations as to where special
efforts are needed.
The
Academy proposes to launch a new journal accessible to university
students and teachers in science and the educated lay public
interested in science, featuring expository articles, description
of new teaching methods and innovative experiments, science
news, historical notes, etc.; the journal will contain advertisements
from prospective employers, and information about opportunities
for study and research.
Interaction
with the Student and Teacher Communities
A
scheme for placement of students with Fellows of the Academy
for summer research programmes will be worked out. A similar
programme will be undertaken for association of motivated
college and school teachers.
A
series of Academy seminars will be organised involving selected
college teachers and promising students, on topics chosen
with the guidance of Fellows.
An
extension lecture programme in different regions with the
cooperation of local colleges will be set up under Academy
auspices.
The
Academy will invite selected college and university teachers
to its annual and mid-year meetings as guest participants.
Link
with Teaching Departments and Institutions
The
Academy will encourage university science departments and
national laboratories to produce brochures containing helpful
information for the guidance of students.
Contacts
with National Bodies, Agencies, etc.
The
Academy supports the introduction of a wide variety of undergraduate
applied science courses, undergraduate science programmes
of high quality in selected institutions, and Integrated
M.Sc. programmes. At least a few of the undergraduate science
programmes should be run at University Departments where
postgraduate courses are also conducted, and not only at
affiliated colleges. The Academy also recommends the setting
up of Integrated Ph.D. programmes in selected institutions,
with a suitable course programme as an integral part.
The
Academy endorses the need for good M.Sc. courses in different
branches of science, similar to the DBT programme.
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