In many ways, admission to a doctoral programme in an Ivy League marks the beginning of the great American dream. But engineering and management students are busy chasing the Indian dream. Following a booming job market, higher education is taking a backseat with fewer students opting for PhD programmes in India and abroad.
The trend is most evident at IIT-Madras where till late ?Quit India? was a routine affair. But in recent years, only 30% students from the chemical engineering branch have opted for higher studies. A decade back, this figure was around 90%.
?The IT boom has resulted in higher education taking a backseat,? laments K Krishnaiah, dean, academic research, IIT-Madras.
In India, doctoral programmes in pure sciences and engineering have never been popular and the current economic boom is further accentuating the trend. ?Low salaries and slow career growth opportunities in the academic sector are a constraining factor for bright young people to take up careers in academic institutions,? concedes MR Rao, dean, Indian School of Business.
Academicians feel the push towards higher education needs to come from industry. ?Students should realise they would get better job offers if they complete a MTech degree. The need of the hour is greater collaboration between industry and academia for masters and Phd programmes,? stresses Dulal Goldar, principal, Delhi College of Engineering.
Also, increased ?switch-over? is not helping the cause of higher education. ?In the last few years, a lot mechnical and civil engineers have taken up jobs with software companies because of the high remuneration they offer. Even those pursuing higher studies in areas like defence and space research are switching over to IT,? observes M Vijayan, president-elect, Indian National Science Academy.
The student crunch is felt even in management doctoral programmes. ?We are getting fewer applications every passing year for our doctoral programmes,? says an academician from IIM-Bangalore.
?Worldover, doctoral programmes are considered to be counter-cyclical. If the economy is on a high, fewer students opt for higher studies,? says the academician from IIM-B.