From Educational Reform to Research Reform

A PhD degree should not merely qualify an author to write an article; it should also inspire the author to examine the deeper challenges facing society and propose meaningful solutions. An article discussing the contribution of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) should therefore go beyond describing its achievements and address the larger question of how universities can contribute to economic development, innovation, and social well-being.

Aligarh Muslim University has contributed significantly to the educational advancement and professional success of its students. Its contribution extends beyond its graduates to include its professors, associate professors, other employees, and the wider community of people who have benefited from its educational environment. Many of its alumni have secured government positions and contributed to different sectors of society.

Similarly, Jamia Millia Islamia's residential coaching facilities for civil services aspirants have helped candidates from different communities, including Muslim and Hindu students, pursue their ambitions of entering the Indian Administrative Service and other civil services. Such achievements demonstrate the value of educational institutions in expanding opportunities and promoting social mobility.

However, individual success is not the same as institutional transformation.

Despite these achievements, an important question remains: Have AMU, Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), Jamia Millia Islamia, and other universities and engineering colleges serving Muslim communities done enough to foster entrepreneurship, develop indigenous technologies, establish industries, and generate employment?

Universities must not limit their mission to producing graduates who seek government jobs or employment in existing industries. They should also prepare graduates to become researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs, industrialists, and creators of employment.

The missing link is a stronger ecosystem of Research and Development (R&D). Research should not remain confined to dissertations, academic publications, and the award of degrees. It must lead, wherever possible, to practical technologies, patents, start-ups, industrial partnerships, improved public services, and solutions to problems faced by society.

Our educational reformers made significant efforts to expand access to modern education more than a century ago. Their vision created institutions and opportunities that transformed generations. Today, the challenge is different. The next generation must build upon that foundation by making research, scientific inquiry, technological innovation, and entrepreneurship central to higher education.

Muslim universities and engineering colleges should therefore undertake a serious review of their research performance. Their achievements must be assessed through transparent indicators, including research quality, citations, patents, technology transfer, industry collaboration, research funding, start-ups, and the practical impact of their discoveries.

This is not a call to dismiss the achievements of our institutions. It is a call to recognise their potential and address the gaps that prevent them from making a greater contribution to society.

Educational reform opened the doors of opportunity; research reform must now open the doors of innovation and economic development.

The time has come for a coordinated Research Reform Movement across AMU, MANUU, Jamia Millia Islamia, and other universities and engineering colleges. Its objective should be clear: to move from degree-oriented education towards research-driven institutions that produce knowledge, develop technologies, create enterprises, and contribute meaningfully to the nation's progress.

Our past reformers built the educational foundation. The responsibility of the present generation is to build upon it through research, innovation, and entrepreneurship.