| for research. He added that Turkey had found it difficult in practice to engage foreign professors for prolonged periods. They were often reluctant to leave their institutions for more than a few weeks at a time and even when they did accept two-yearly assignments there still remained the problem of what to do when they left. It might be perhaps better to promote joint research projects sponsored by two countries, so as to maintain contact. Professors from more developed countries could be attracted to participate in these projects by offers of research opportunities in areas that are not readily available to them in their own countries. Professor Stirling (U.K.) accepted the desirability of such team work but referred to problems that might arise due to the differences in the working methods and administrative procedures of the countries involved. He suggested that teachers might be induced to work in developing countries for periods of two or three years by offering them better financial conditions. This could be achieved through the savings by not sending so many students abroad. Dr. Tahir Hussain (Pakistan) stated here that the Universities are working in isolation and a barrier exists between the masses and the Universities which are slow in bringing about changes in keeping with the evolutions that take place in the country and in the world. Most Universities are staffed by teachers trained in foreign countries and who are unaware of the people's needs. They are involved in irrelevant research projects that have no relation with the changing attitude and thoughts of the people. Universities should, instead, undertake studies about the problems faced by the people and in those fields that are of vital importance to the country's development. Dr. Riahi (Iran) drew attention to the reference in the Keynote Paper to a "Storehouse of knowledge" and said that since developing countries did not have as much time as the Western countries to accumulate data which is what research is essentially—, they should concentrate their efforts on a few select areas and try and make use of the already collected data on these. Professor Imtiaz Ali Sheikh (Pakistan) dwelt on the question |
| of "importing teachers rather than exporting students": The non-OPEC developing countries were in a difficult position in that they spent the little foreign exchange they have on students fees that are continuously increasing and furthermore, those who obtained their degrees often chose to stay abroad or go to oil-rich countries. He also drew attention to the fact that those foreign professors who accept to teach in the developing countries are often of mediocre calibre. Dr. Amir Mohammad (Pakistan) suggested that Universities should aim at training patriotic and motivated teaching staff, rather than international academics. It was not surprising that well trained and internationally sought after academics felt reluctant to return to a poorer financial position and environment when they had better alternatives since by the fact of being trained abroad they might have lost their patriotism or idealism. Dr. Sheikh (Pakistan) suggested on the other hand that it would be more practical first to provide the organizational and administrative support for research and then to establish the relevant fields. He mentioned the scheme started at the Lahore Engineering University for recruiting foreign professors who act as "external" supervisors for research students and in this way join their expertise to the research on local problems. Professor Okyar (Turkey) stressed the urgent need for scientists and researchers and expressed doubt for the concern over "relevance", since decision on relevance had to be a subjective judgement, in any case. NOTES 1 Professor of Sociology and Social Anthropology, University of Kent at Canterbury Professor Stirling was also the coordinator for the United Kingdom Government for this Conference. (Full titles and honours of the authors are given in the List of Delegates at the end of the book, p. 219) 2 Halsey and Trow, British Academics (1971) reported a |
| survey of a sizeable sample, conducted in 1964. By the age of 44, two thirds of the sample had published ten articles or more, a fifth had published between five and ten, and only 4% had not published anything. 3 Two other contrasts are relevant to the administration of research. The routine drudgery of accumulating data is essential to almost all research. But it is not in itself what contributes to the growth of knowledge, still less to development. Yet people without flair or imagination become established as competent researchers in institutes or even universities, and may even inhibit new ideas because they see them as threatening. Secondly, future research workers and university teachers need training in research. But should we, as most of us do insist that all university teachers do research training and produce theses and publications before joining the staff to teach? And how do we distinguish 'research training' from research proper? 4 The inappropriateness of this assumption is clear to us in a way it was not to the then governments of the Persian, Ottoman and British Empires. |