Indian Institute of Science: A Paradigm Shift

Abstract

Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is the premier research institution in modern India.1 The history of the Institute serves as a paradigmatic case for this book for several reasons. Its birth was a result of a unique partnership between the ruling British government and native Indians to promote higher education in the country. The deep dissatisfaction felt by a particular section of the local population with the state of higher education in the country manifested itself in this endeavour. The institute also represents the first serious attempt to carry out original research work in the Indian higher education sector. Today IISc is often ranked as India’s premier research institute by various bodies that specialise in ranking of HEIs across the world. But the success that IISc has enjoyed since its inception also masks the un-fulfilment of the original vision of its main sponsor, Jamsetji Tata. The project of reforming the examination-oriented university system which motivated Tata to endow IISc with income from his properties was not successful in the ultimate analysis. Tata’s plan for establishing a world-class ‘University of Research’ in India did not bear fruit as originally envisaged. The truncation of the vision was a direct outcome of the battle between the two partners in the project—the colonial Government and the native industrialist. The chapter focuses on this tussle as it illuminates the paucity of vision on the part of the colonial Government in matters relating to higher education and science and technology in the country.