Tuesday, October 25 2005 16:28 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Keeping in tune with the Government's desire to encourage science among students, the University Grants Commission (UGC) is keen on starting a five-year integrated programme for higher secondary students leading to MSc and a PhD programme for graduates from this academic year.

"As a first step, UGC is intending to start a five-year integrated post graduate programme in basic sciences in select universities and colleges in line with the integrated five year programmes in IITs," UGC Chairman V N Rajashekharan Pillai told PTI.

Referring to the report of the Task Force for Basic Scientific Research in Universities, he said the UGC wanted this to be operationalised from this academic year.

Pillai said the UGC would constitute a committee for finalising a draft curriculum for the purpose.

Government had earlier set up a six-member Task Force headed by Prof M M Sharma whose report had not only been accepted but an implementation committee constituted.

An additional budgetary support of Rs 600 crore has been earmarked as suggested by the Task Force and recommended to the Planning Commission by the Human Resource Development Ministry for the purpose.

The Task Force had recommended to the HRD Ministry to earmark a grant of Rs 600 crore per annum which included Rs 400 crore towards support for infrastructure development in the universities and Rs 150 crore for setting up of ten Centres of Basic Sciences for improving scientific research in universities.

The Task Force had felt that science research should be made the key activity of the universities with greater emphasis on research leading to Ph.D. Degree without which quality teaching was not sustainable.

It said the number of PhDs from Indian Universities should increase five-fold within a span of ten years with proper standards. This should be seen in the context of extremely low fraction of PhDs in the country in relation to M.Sc/B.Tech as compared to what it is in United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), Germany, Japan etc.