The IISERs have a leadership problem
While there is no rule that the chairperson of a scientific institution must be a scientist, it matters for each institution’s credibility and vision
The Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) were established by the Indian government to provide students with an intellectually stimulating research environment and to encourage them to engage in research at an early stage, compared to the typical Indian academic setting. Autonomy is highly valued within the IISERs, allowing scientists to choose which research questions to pursue and to determine the resources allocated to their work.
However, the government's involvement in the IISERs, through the creation of a Board of Governors that includes senior government officials and other government nominees, has raised concerns about the potential for top-down control. This control, which also involves the secretary of higher education and the director of the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, may hinder the IISERs' ability to thrive in an environment conducive to independent scientific inquiry.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu - Sci-Tech's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
