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Science cannot coexist with backwardness

For university faculty, no matter what they do, their job is secure if they are politically correct. They are guaranteed tenure and promotion irrespective of their scientific achievements and scholarly excellence. The few who do quality research are not given the deserved recognition, thus contributing to a smug attitude toward scientific research.

Quamrul Haider and Sanjoy K. Sarker
IN a recent article (TDS, May 21, 2012) we discussed the importance of developing research capability in Science and Technology (S&T) in Bangladesh. It was emphasised that if Bangladesh hopes to eliminate poverty and provide a reasonable standard of living for its people, the government will have to invest heavily in scientific Research and Development (R&D). Unfortunately, Bangladesh is unable to keep pace with the rapid global developments in S&T. It will be naive and simplistic to say that there is a singular cause for the slow pace of R&D works. In this article, we identify some of the significant ones Bangladesh faces in developing a viable scientific research capability.
Infrastructure & partnership: A principal reason for an unfavourable research environment is the poor infrastructure for R&D. The blame for this rests squarely on the shoulder of the government. The commitment by successive governments toward funding R&D has been minimal. The current level of support is not enough to sustain a domestic research effort by itself. Furthermore, lack of a coherent, tenable science policy and action plan contributes to the absence of a healthy research atmosphere. It is also the cause of isolation from Regional and International Network of Science and Technology.
An essential component of fruitful and innovative research is partnership among industry, academia and research institutions, which is practically nonexistent in Bangladesh. Consequently, R&D work done by the scientists docs not address the needs of the industries and private sector. The link is so weak that the impact of R&D on productivity is minimal.
Scientific manpower: For a populous nation like Bangladesh, it is paradoxical that the pool of talented scientific manpower is very small. Colleges and universities, whose role is central to the development of scientific research, have failed in producing enough qualified scientists. As a result, except for a few individuals, quality of scientists employed in research institutes is not up to the international standard.
Politics, archaic curricula, inadequate institutional support and reluctance to introduce innovative teaching methods are some of the reasons for this failure.
Emphasis on memorisation, rather than
problem solving, and a lack of computational content in courses have left science education decades behind. Besides, there are hardly any research practicum courses that engage students with faculty. When the worldwide trend is toward subdividing one field of science into more and more specialised areas and synthesising of many distinctive specialties, Bangladesh is still clinging to the traditional and outmoded approach to science education with no discernible unity of curriculum.
Academia & politics: The academic atmosphere in Bangladesh is not conducive for R&D work. Weak institutions and rampant corruption in all sectors of life contribute significantly to the paucity of R&D. Conflicts and tensions permeate every sphere of higher education. Colleges and universities are the nexus of corruption and crime with dirty student politics reigning supreme. Political patronage of students and teachers vitiated the academic atmosphere to an epidemic form. Even high-ups in the academia work in cahoots with thugs, politicians and their student-lackeys.
"The prime problem for degeneracy in Bangladesh lies in the scarcity of good teachers," laments a physicist living in Bangladesh.
The high-handedness and pressures upon the colleges and universities by the government hampers the recruitment and retention of high-quality teachers and researchers. Faculties arc often hired based on their political affiliation, many of whom do not even meet the minimum requirements for an academic position.
Research productivity: Publication and citation are major indicators of noteworthy scientific research. In the case of Bangladeshi scientists, number of publications in high impact professional journals is meager. It is partly due to a lack of competent personnel, and partly due to a lack of oversight, accountability and incentives.
Also technological support and staffing are insufficient to serve a research productive environment. Moreover, there is no detectable coordination, communication or collaboration between scientists of different institutes. This leads to waste and inefficiency, and unnecessary duplication of efforts.
Another reason for the low output is the blase attitude of the scientists. For univer
sity faculty, no matter what they do, their job is secure if they are politically correct. They are guaranteed tenure and promotion irrespective of their scientific achievements and scholarly excellence. The few who do quality research are not given the deserved recognition, thus contributing to a smug attitude toward scientific research.
Economics: Just like people in other professions, a scientist must consider both short-range and long-range consequences when selecting his/her course of action. However, economic necessities and inadequate compensation keeps them away from pursuing science as a full-time vocation, if not as an avocation. Majority of
those who are in the academia have to hold multiple jobs in order to make ends meet, leaving them with very little time to do research.
Isolation: Science is no longer confined within the borders of a single nation. Mobility of scientists is now a universal character of science. There is increased cooperation and exchange of information between scientists of different countries --developed and underdeveloped alike. Bangladeshi scientists arc neither mobile, nor do they have sufficient grants to attend international conferences, interact with foreign colleagues and establish collaborative research with scientists from advanced countries. It prevents them from maintaining contact with the mainstream of ideas and developments in their respective fields. Thus they remain isolated, not by choice, but by circumstances; research is a pipe dream for them.
Funding: Research in the sciences is impossible without adequate resources.
cation to the citizens.
According to a physics faculty, a good number of equipment used for teaching are still the ones that were used by us four decades ago. This is outrageous and unacceptable. The shelf life of most of the instruments is at best ten years as spare parts required to keep them operational are often not available after that period. The obsolescence of the equipment makes the science experiences of students a horrific one. This inevitably leads to the development of an apathetic attitude toward science.
Brain drain: A problem faced by majority of the developing nations including
Bangladesh is the hemorrhage of talent. Since very little quality research is done in the country, many of the best students go to European and North American universities for higher degrees and post-doctoral level training. Once trained, most stay back because of access to advanced research facilities and unfettered institutional support they receive from their adopted countries. Those who do go back find it difficult to keep up with the rapidly advancing and highly competitive world of modern science due to chronic lack of facilities and financial support for research, dearth of high caliber students, post-docs and, most of all, absence of a robust research climate.
The problem of brain drain is exacerbated by the open door policy of the developed countries that consider scientists among the most valuable economic assets. Ironically, it is the scientists from third-world countries who provide powerful intellectual input to the research achievements of other countries but returns less benefit to the country of their birth.
Private funding: Philanthropy plays a big role in financing R&D work in the developed countries. In the USA endowments and alumni donations fuel a large chunk of the budget apportioned for basic, applied, interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research. There is no shortage of Rockefellers, Fords, Carnegies and their ilk in Bangladesh. How many of them patronise R&D work? Regrettably, the culture of philanthropy is totally absent in Bangladesh.
Future: Whether it is due to ignorance or unwise decisions, the apathetic attitude of the government is primarily responsible for the sorry state of scientific research in Bangladesh. Solution to the problems and necessary reforms are not hard to find. The challenge is, once solutions are found and if a high level of scientific attainment is aspired to, will they be implemented and sustained? Do the citizens, particularly the educated and affluent ones, including expatriates, really want a scientifically advanced and modern society?
Science brings enlightenment. It does not coexist with backwardness. A world-class science capability, even a small one, would have a salutary effect on the society and the nation as a whole.
The writers are Professors at Fordham University, New York, and University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, respectively.