Straight Talk: Put Merit First (Not Home Grown Degrees or Ethnicities)

A look at the malaise of ‘academic inbreeding’ born of the cliquish culture of Indian universities, and the need to put merit first.

Straight Talk: Faculty Shortages are a Huge Obstacle to India's Higher Ed Plans

More than half the positions for professor at central universities are vacant, at a time when more and more Indians are attending college. How are we going to find more faculty for them?

Straight Talk: Why are there no women at the IITs?

The IITs and other STEM field institutions are showing an excessive gender imbalance. Dr. Pushkar examines this structural inequality in Indian and international academia and urges corrections.

Straight Talk: Indian government must limit research to select institutions

PM Narendra Modi recently said that research should be pushed to state universities. Here Dr. Pushkar argues against such a move.

Straight Talk: The needless war on 4-year undergraduate programmes

Pushkar discusses the issues underlying the debate over India's four-year undergraduate program.

Straight Talk: The American Nightmare - Laws, Campuses and Guns

The US is a preferred destination for international students. However, the recent spate of campus violence has cast a long shadow over its academic institutions. What is the historic and legal foundation for USA’s gun laws and what are their long term repercussions? Take a look with Dr. Pushkar.

Straight Talk: What good is a PhD from an Indian university?

Across the world, a PhD is synonymous with the summit of academic excellence. But is it also true for India? An in depth look at the reality of an Indian PhD.

Straight Talk: India must make drastic cutbacks in academic research to ensure quality

Is research the only way to ensure the quality of Indian academia? Dr. Pushkar argues otherwise.

Straight Talk: Why do junk private colleges survive and thrive?

What's the story behind many of the useless private institutions in India? Pushkar gives his view.

Straight Talk: How useful is India Rankings 2016 for students?

Dr. Pushkar takes a close look at the recently released India Rankings 2016 and discusses whether it can serve as a reliable guide for students and parents in the upcoming admission season.