Industry collaboration will improve education: Infy chief

PUNE: With learning institutions discouraging industry collaboration in research activities, the knowledge pool is going unutilized. Higher education has become a prerogative of a small segment of the society. In this backdrop, Narayana Murthy, chairman Infosys Technologies Ltd., said ," By 2005, India will face an acute shortage of technical talent and so government must vigorously promote higher education in science and technology and industries alike." He was attending the foundation day of the Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune.

Murthy said that constant evaluation of the system, stress on research projects and complete autonomy to all educational institutions with market-driven fee structure could make the Indian system globally competent.

"Universities and institutes like IIT should enhance partnerships with industries so that private funding goes to education and industries benefit from research," he said. He denounced the Indian academia that looks down upon selling knowledge to industries.

Citing the example of British experiment where education was de-politicised and research was boosted through heavy government grant, Murthy lamented that not being a solution oriented society, India lags behind the world despite ample human resources and higher education facilities.

He stated his own failure to inspire changes in educational institutes through donation and pointed out that in a democracy like India, the voice of the majority prevails, but this majority is average and mediocre, opposing every change.