Education, research and training in Ocean Sciences in India - Challenges in the changing environment

The thickly populated 7000Km long coastal zones of India are increasing at risk from climate change impact and natural calamities. Though the importance of education and research in ocean/coastal sciences is quite relevant, the facilities available are inadequate and the quality of output in these fields are not upto expectations. The course or research facility is available only in limited number of Universities and the subjects are not satisfactorily included in the syllabus in pre-university courses. Even in the Universities, the curriculum is not frequently updated. Role of student's politics in the campus and the influence of politics and money in faculty appointments deteriorate the quality of education. Because of uncertainties about a secure job in related fields, brilliant students now hesitate to opt these subjects.. Lack of Government funding makes the Universities turn self-financing, keeping the poor, but talented students away from the campus. In many Universities, basic facilities like good library and web access are still inadequate. Study reports indicate the falling number of standard research publications and representation in international science conferences from Indian Universities. Number and timely availability of fellowships, insufficient grants for fieldwork, laboratory materials and data collection, lack of research guides with knowledge of recent developments in the subject, difficulties in procuring data from government agencies etc affect the quality of research. Delay in administration and widespread corruption make life in the campuses inhospitable to students and active researchers. More training facilities and awareness programmes for the general public are necessary in India in the fast changing environment. Non-governmental, non-profit profit organizations can do much better in this, but the Government policies have to be changed. Present study is a detailed assessment of the factors affecting quality in education and research in ocean/coastal science in India. Guidelines for developing strategies to improve learning, teaching and research have been presented.