I heard, in South Korea, personal income tax is less for Masters... and significantly less for candidates with Ph.D. No wonder, Samsung (South Korean Electronics Giant), over 10 years -- increased Doctors (Ph.D.) by 5.5X (@ 300/year!), while regular employees increased by only 2X.
Below is the data from news item (How to grow an electronics giant - from http://www.eetasia.com/ - posted 17/Nov/2008)
M.Tech. takes 2-years, Ph.D. takes ~4-years...
After M.Tech. or Ph.D., candidates get lesser designation (less by ~1-2 years) compared to their classmates, in a given industry (Except for Research positions... very less in openings India... very high in demand... very difficult to fill... a paradox...)
Going for M.Tech. - understood - it is only 2-years... not a big issue (earning a livelihood for family (=parents)) for many....
Going for Ph.D. - the trouble factor - it is 4-years... a big issue for many... time to settle down and get married... without earning - it is very difficult in India... (may be exception for rich families... or for candidates very enthusiastic in higher education).
So, where is the incentive for Indian students for higher education?
Without having technology creation by research, we will be doing only technology-service... this is called service economy... this is not knowledge economy...
A country boasting "knowledge economy" - meaning sell your knowledge as service, for others to create products, and sell products to you?
Hi Chandra,
ReplyDeleteNice to read your posts... They're really thought provoking! So here's my tuppence about this topic.
In my opinion, you are talking about incentive from a very pragmatic, practical point of view. I think if you look at incentives from a personal point of view (meaning, from the point of view of a guy who's graduated with a Bachelors' degree), then I think it's more a question of passion. I think unless you have passion, the other 'incentives' won't count. You cite the example of Korea, but on the other hand you have the US, where grad students (i.e., Phd candidates/research associates) have to make do with equivalent of minimum wage workers! And yet, the US has a lot of PhDs. Even more interesting is the fact, that a significant percentage of these are non-US students (Asian, middle-eastern)! So I guess the real incentive is the passion to broaden your horizons, and the rest will follow. Agreed, in Indian society, there is a bit of pressure to 'get settled', but I think times are changing. People in their 20s today don't have to think about 'supporting' their parents today, as much as people in their 20s about 2 decades ago. Well, this is true, at least in the cities/big towns. But why don't we see a lot of people going in for higher education/research?
I think the answer lies in our education system. It just doesn't stimulate interest in the subject (science) from a rational, real-world point-of-view. It encourages rote-learning, and kills the inquisitive spirit - which in my opinion is the single, largest factor in building an inclination towards research!
(Phew! the comment is as long as the post! :P )