The Lack of Funding by Indian Government Agencies to Research in Colleges: Biggest hurdle to becoming ‘Vishva Guru’

Who Will Speak Truth to Power?

In recent years, the higher education landscape in India has been dominated by a competitive race to achieve higher rankings through mechanisms like NAAC, NBA, and initiatives by agencies such as UGC and AICTE. While these frameworks push Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) towards a benchmark of quality, they often overlook a critical issue that threatens the very foundation of India's educational system—insufficient funding, particularly for institutions catering to marginalized groups. The question remains: Who will speak truth to power about the lack of substantial financial support from government agencies to colleges for research?

The Competitive "Rat Race" of Rankings

The current focus of Indian education policies on rankings and institutional performance metrics has inadvertently created a "rat race" that prioritizes competition over inclusivity. While achieving high rankings can provide visibility and prestige for HEIs, it often comes at the cost of equitable access and inclusivity, especially for marginalized groups. These groups, including SC/ST, women, and economically disadvantaged students, are in desperate need of targeted support that would enable them to not only access education and research but thrive in a system that traditionally privileges the well-resourced.

The Constitutional Obligation: Inclusivity and Social Justice

India’s constitutional mandate emphasizes equality, equity, and justice, principles that should ideally guide the policies and practices within the country's education system. Policies like the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 highlight the importance of inclusivity, but in practice, many institutions still struggle to offer opportunities to marginalized communities due to insufficient funding. The very agencies responsible for funding HEIs should be promoting inclusivity and access to education, but often fail to do so adequately. This results in an inequitable distribution of resources that favors already well-established and better-performing institutions, leaving smaller or less privileged colleges grappling with limited resources.

Compartmentalized Research Funding

The Indian government has further compartmentalized research funding by directing substantial financial resources to elite institutions like IITs, IIMs, IISERs, NIPERs, and Central Universities, while leaving state universities and colleges with significantly less support. These premier institutions receive large amounts of research funding, creating an imbalance where only a small segment of the academic landscape benefits from cutting-edge research and development opportunities. Meanwhile, state universities and colleges, which serve a vast majority of India's student population, are left underfunded. This stark disparity in resource allocation stifles the growth of these institutions, limiting their ability to contribute meaningfully to research and development that could benefit the entire nation.

A Stark Contrast in Government Spending Priorities

An alarming example of the government's skewed priorities can be seen in its allocation of funds. While the government has allocated ?2 lakh crore for a bullet train project—an initiative with limited beneficiaries, primarily serving the wealthier segment of society—funding for research, which could benefit the entire nation, is severely lacking. The government has proposed ?50,000 crore for research over five years, yet it is asking private companies to shoulder the majority of this burden, contributing ?36,000 crore. This disproportionate reliance on private funding undermines the very purpose of public investment in research, which should prioritize national progress and the public good over the profits of a few.

Research benefits society at large by fostering innovation, solving national challenges, and elevating the country's global standing. It holds the potential to uplift marginalized communities and create solutions for national development, whereas infrastructure projects like the bullet train cater to specific, privileged sections of society. This contrast highlights the need for a paradigm shift in government funding policies that better align with India’s constitutional commitment to social equity and inclusivity.

Best and feasible solution: Evaluating Funding Agencies

Rather than ranking HEIs, a shift in focus is urgently needed—one that holds funding agencies accountable for their role in promoting inclusivity and access to education. Government agencies should not be evaluated solely based on the number of institutions they fund, but also on their impact on social equity. Here are some key metrics that should be considered when assessing funding agencies:

• Number of HEIs supported: Funding agencies should be evaluated based on the breadth of their reach. How many institutions, particularly those in rural or marginalized areas, are receiving financial support? Agencies must extend their reach beyond the top-tier universities to include regional, less-recognized institutions that serve a more diverse student population.
• Amount of funding provided: Beyond just reaching more institutions, the quantum of funds allocated matters. Are these agencies providing enough financial resources to significantly impact the infrastructure, faculty development, research, and student support services? Institutions catering to marginalized groups often need more targeted funding to overcome structural disadvantages.
• Support for marginalized groups: The most critical metric for evaluating funding agencies should be their commitment to inclusivity. How much funding is specifically earmarked for SC/ST students, women, and marginalized groups? Moreover, how much of this funding goes into research and development opportunities that can uplift these communities? This criterion would help ensure that financial resources are distributed in a way that actively promotes social justice in education.

Aligning Funding with Social Justice

Aligning the funding system with India's constitutional obligations to equity and inclusion requires more than just a superficial distribution of funds. It demands a robust evaluation system that ensures government agencies are contributing to the broader goal of social justice. Institutions that primarily serve marginalized communities need targeted financial support that goes beyond the one-size-fits-all approach often taken by current funding mechanisms. Agencies should be required to demonstrate that their funds are being used not only to support research and academic development but also to foster a more inclusive educational environment.

The NEP 2020 offers a framework to reimagine Indian education with a focus on equity, but without the necessary financial backing, the policy risks being little more than aspirational. It is high time to reassess the priorities of funding agencies and to hold them accountable for their role in perpetuating or alleviating inequality in the Indian education system.

A Call to Action

If India is to truly fulfil its constitutional promise of equality, equity, and justice in education and to become ‘Vishva Guru’, the government must prioritize funding research as a tool for inclusivity and development. This is not just a matter of financial distribution; it is a matter of social justice and resource management. The question remains: Who will speak truth to power and ensure that government funding agencies are evaluated not only on the amount they disburse, but also on their role in promoting an inclusive, equitable education cum research system for all?

By shifting the focus from ranking HEIs to ranking the agencies responsible for funding them, India can take a significant step towards ensuring that enough funding is rightly accessible to all, not just a privilege for the few (IIT, IISER, NIPER).