Posts
 |
| Pic source: |
The post is based on a research
paper published by "National bureau of economic research, US",
authors of which are Roland Bénabou, Davide Ticchi and Andrea
Vindigni. The blog can be read here, and the research
paper can be read here.
The research paper is of interest
to us because, the authors have collected 'patents per capita' data from many
nations across the globe. The data has been captured for the years 1980,
1990, 1995, 2000 and 2005. Data spanning over a 25 year period makes it robust
for any analysis. Those nations with highest number of 'patents per capita' are
considered leaders in innovation. The ones with comparatively lesser number of
'patents per capita' can be considered laggards in innovation. In this article,
we shall not be exploring the possibilities of religiosity influencing
innovation. Our main focus will be on the nations that have featured in the
research paper, and the education system that those nations have built.
If we are to list the nations
that have visibly higher number of 'patents per capita', as per data captured
by authors of above mentioned research paper, the list would go like:
1.
Japan
2.
South Korea
3.
Germany
4.
United States
5.
Sweden
6.
Finland
7.
Great Britain
Other nations such as Denmark and
France trail closely. All the nations listed above have built an education
system where not just the primary schooling, even the higher education are
provided in people's languages. To elaborate, in Japan one could even study
engineering or medicine in Japanese medium. The Japanese or the Germans need
not rely on English to obtain a degree (or masters) in engineering or medicine.
Let us also take a look at the
nations that are much below the scale (at the bottom) in terms of 'patents per capita'.
1.
Pakistan
2.
Bangladesh
3.
Indonesia
4.
Algeria
India is much closer to Algeria
in terms of 'patents per capita', and India can be classified as a nation where
innovation is rare. While Pakistan and Bangladesh rely on English as the
language of instruction in higher education, Algeria relies on French.
Case of Indonesia is unique.
Indonesia is home to 700 languages, and the official language of Indonesia is
called 'Bahasa Indonesia', an artificially created language. As per this wikipedia entry, though 'Bahasa
Indonesia' is extensively used in commerce, education, administration and
media, most Indonesians speak other languages, such as Javanese, as their first
language.
Though Indonesia has built higher
education system that provides education in 'Bahasa Indonesia', the language
used is still not people's language. It is analogous to making official Hindi as the language of education for whole of India.
While the leaders in innovation
have built higher education systems in their people's languages, the laggards
are either relying on languages of their erstwhile colonizers, or have built a higher education
system which imparts education in an artificially constructed language. The
educationists and linguists of the world have long argued, that education is
very effective when imparted in mother-tongue. The data in the above mentioned research
paper vindicates the fact that people's language is key to improving innovation
and scientific progress of a society. Of course, there are other factors also
that influence innovation and scientific spirit of a nation.
If India wishes to be a global
leader in innovation, it is time India took its' people's languages seriously in education.
The message is clear, provide higher education in people's language or remain a
low-performer in terms of innovation,
0 comments:
Post a Comment