Our TOI supplement article on this

[Chitta]

This is our article that appears in https://www.educationtimes.com/article/e...iversities.

How can India set up multidisciplinary education and research universities
TNN | Posted on Saturday, May 14,2022 12:30

These universities will help in knowledge creation and research, which are critical in growing and sustaining a large and vibrant economy, write Chitta Baral and Satyabhusan Dash

Over the years, the Indian central government has established several excellent technology, management, and medical institutions across the country, including IITs, IIMs, IIITs and AIIMS. However, none of these can be compared with world-class, globally recognised universities. India is known to a potential global superpower due to indicators including the brain power of its talent and the fact that it is one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

If India is to become a scientific leader and a driving intellectual force, it needs top-notch research universities. This requirement was finally recognised and conceptualised in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. As per NEP (page 38), “Model public universities for holistic and multidisciplinary education, at par with IITs, IIMs, etc., called Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities (MERU), will be set up and will aim to attain the highest global standards in quality education. They will also help set the highest standards for multidisciplinary education across India.”

The NEP recognises that knowledge creation and research are critical in growing and sustaining a large and vibrant economy, uplifting society, and continuously inspiring the nation to achieve even greater heights.

Futuristic plans
However, setting up multidisciplinary education and research universities (MERUs) is undeniably expensive. For example, over Rs 2,000 crores have been spent on each of the second-generation IITs that were announced in 2008. Creating MERUs as comprehensive universities with diverse disciplines and at the level of IITs and IIMs could cost Rs 5000–Rs10,000 crore each. Due to the pandemic and other reasons, India is currently facing financial constraints and may not be able to afford many universities with quality faculty and state-of-the art infrastructure from its central budget in the coming years.

Note that a precursor to MERUs, then called ‘Universities aiming at world-class standards’, was envisaged by the 11th Five Year Plan and endorsed by the National Development Council in December 2007. Fourteen locations across the country were named for this purpose by the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of HRD, on March 28, 2008. However, such institutions are yet to be implemented, mainly due to the high funding requirements. In 2012, a bill for universities for research and innovation was passed, and in 2018–2019 the subsequent government recommended that 10 existing government institutes/universities and 10 private entities (eight existing and two greenfield) pursue the ‘Institutes of Eminence’ designation.

India’s middle-age centres of knowledge (except Varanasi), Chaturāmnāya Pīthams (popularly known as the Char Dhams), established by Adi Shankara, at Puri, Dwaraka, Sringeri, and Badrinath, have been neglected, and there is a good case to revive them. These ancient knowledge centers of India are associated with temples that have world-wide following and significant holdings. They are also located in the four corners of India. We propose that the central government should announce a plan to initially establish one MERU at each of these four locations and create a foundation (in partnership with the associated temple and corresponding state government) and campaign to raise funds for the creation and growth of MERUs at these locations. Additional MERUs can be subsequently established using a similar approach.

This proposed innovative solution will work because India has a long tradition of philanthropy toward temples and projects associated with temples. In addition, the central government can incorporate the following suggestions to raise further funds:
1. Asking the state to contribute a significant amount of funds, in addition to free land
2. Reaching out and partnering with temple trusts with respect to using some trust land for the university to develop allied infrastructures, like research parks, that earn funds for the university. In turn, the MERU can provide special opportunities (such as scholarships and several reserved seats in the university) for the children of temple servitors, especially in the university’s skills development programs
3. Reaching out, with help from the state and the temple trusts, to private philanthropic trusts, including those related to companies that conduct significant operations in the state, for aspects such as targeted centers and institutes that will be part of the MERUs, and scholarships for students.

(The authors are professor of Computer Science, Arizona State University, USA and professor of Marketing, IIM Lucknow, India)

[Chitta]

The original and somewhat larger article is as follows:


How Government can
Establish Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities –
with little cost to the central government

Chitta Baral, Professor of Computer Science, Arizona State University, USA
Satyabhusan Dash, Professor of Marketing, IIMLucknow, India

Central government has established number of excellent technology and management institutions including IITs, IIMs, IIITs and AIIMS across the country over the years. But none of these can be compared with world-class universities recognized globally. India is considered one of the potential superpowers of the world. This potential is attributed to several indicators, the primary ones being its Indian brain power and a fastest growing economies. We should feel proud of the fact that increasingly the World is run by the Indian brain power. But India is not yet recognized as a leading scientific or research power in the global arena.

If India is to become a leader in a global scientific and intellectual force, it needs top-notch research universities. This requirement has been finally recognized and conceptualized in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, approved by the government.  As per NEP (page 38), ‘Model public universities for holistic and multidisciplinary education, at par with IITs, IIMs, etc., called MERUs (Multidisciplinary Education and Research Universities) will be set up and will aim to attain the highest global standards in quality education. They will also help set the highest standards for multidisciplinary education across India’. NEP acknowledged that Knowledge creation and research are critical in growing and sustaining a large and vibrant economy, uplifting society, and continuously inspiring a nation to achieve even greater heights. The crucial role of research is felt more than ever before, for the economic, intellectual, societal, environmental, and technological health and richness of nation.

However, we need to admit that setting up MERUs is expensive. Note that more than thousand crores have been spent on each of the second generation IITs that were announced in 2008. Creating a MERU in the mold of comprehensive universities with diverse disciplines and at the level of IITs and IIMs could cost 5000-10,000 crores each. Due to the pandemic and other reasons India currently has financial constraints, and may not be able to afford multiple such MERUs with quality faculty and state-of-the art infrastructure from the central budget in the coming years.

Note that a precursor of MERUs, then called “Universities aiming at world class standards”, were envisaged by the 11th Five Year Plan and were endorsed by the National Development Council in December 2007. Fourteen locations across the country were named for this in a PIB released by the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of HRD on March 28 2008. However, they have not been implemented yet; mainly because of funding requirements. (See  https://www.orissalinks.com/archives/1042.) Later a bill for Universities for research and innovation was passed in 2012 and the subsequent government in 2018-19 recommended 10 existing government institutes/universities and 10 private entities (8 existing, and 2 greenfield) towards “Institutes of Eminence” tag.

India's middle-age centers of knowledge (except Varanasi), in particular the Chaturāmnāya Pīthams, (popularly known as the Char Dhams), established by Adi Shankara, at Puri, Dwaraka, Sringeri and Badrinath, are neglected, and there is a good case to revive them. The ancient knowledge centers of India, the Chaturāmnāya Pīthams established by Adi Shankara, are associated with temples that have world-wide following and significant holdings. They are also located in the four corners of India. We propose  central government should announce a plan to initially establish four MERUs at these four locations and creating a foundation (in partnership with the associate temple and the corresponding state government) and campaign to raise funds for the creation and growth of MERUs at these locations. Additional MERUs can be subsequently established using a similar approach.)

We believe proposed innovative solution will work because India has a long tradition of philanthropy towards temples and projects associated with temples. On 15th January 2021, a fundraising campaign for the Ram Mandir construction at Ayodhya was initiated with the first contribution made by the President of India. By April 2021, in less than 3 months, nearly four times of the estimated cost of Rs 1500 crores was collected with tremendous pressure from devotees to continue the fundraising campaign. (See https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/rs...-be-higher ). In addition to the above, the central government can incorporate more aspects to raise additional funds. This includes:

(i) Asking the state to contribute a good amount in addition to free land.

(ii) Reach out and partner with the Temple Trusts with respect to use of some part of the trust land towards the university in order to develop allied infrastructures, for instance, research parks, that earn funds for the university; in turn the MERU will provide some special opportunities (such as, scholarships and a few reserved seats in the University) for the children of the Temple servitors; especially in the skill development programs of the university.

(iii) With the help of the state and the Temple Trusts, reach out to private philanthropic trusts, including trusts related to companies that have big operations in the state, for aspects such as: targeted centers and institutes that will be part of the MERUs, and scholarships for students.

*Views expressed by authors are purely personal