Knowledge production is a continuous and ongoing process. Every moment, new knowledge is being produced in different corners of the world. Some new knowledge can spread globally, while some remains limited in scope. The creation, preservation, and dissemination of new knowledge is an essential tradition in society. There is a deep relationship between social structures, development, and knowledge production. Sociologist Auguste Comte described the relationship between knowledge production and social structure in three stages: 1) Theological, 2) Metaphysical, and 3) Scientific. According to him, society transitions from theological beliefs to reasoning and science, advancing in knowledge production.
In Nepal, the tradition of knowledge production historically developed through the Gurukul education system. In this tradition, students gained knowledge in the proximity of their teachers. Later, with the establishment of schools and universities, the dissemination of knowledge began through these institutions. Gradually, these institutions formalized the certification process for knowledge dissemination, which changed traditional methods of transferring and spreading knowledge. Knowledge systems related to meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, environmental conservation, and biodiversity preservation began to be institutionalized. However, this institutionalization commercialized the relationship between teachers and students. Teachers started selling knowledge like commodities, and students became buyers. Now, knowledge is on sale in the market, and there are no teachers and students, just sellers and buyers.
There are many answers to the question of how knowledge became a market commodity. However, do teachers themselves hold any responsibility for this? While education has been commercialized, teachers' primary goal should still be to uphold the ethics of education. Some teachers participate in campaigns providing free education, but the majority open private tuition or coaching classes, turning knowledge into a profit-making commodity. If teachers support the commercialization of education and use it as a ladder for personal gain, this trend will strengthen further, leading to a contraction in knowledge production and transmission. If teachers take ethical responsibility by providing quality education and portraying education as a means of moral character-building rather than a trade, knowledge production can expand significantly.
In Nepal, the universities responsible for knowledge production and linking it to social development have a knowledge production system that is only partially satisfactory. The major areas of university knowledge production include: 1) Teaching (the process of imparting theoretical and practical knowledge to students), 2) Research (the process of finding new ideas, technologies, and solutions), and 3) Applying knowledge in community services (using university-produced knowledge for societal and industrial purposes). When it comes to research, most universities focus more on teaching than research. Although termed research, scholars are not given adequate opportunities to exchange knowledge and debate with international universities. There is minimal emphasis on applying research to practical fields. What is claimed to be new knowledge often turns out to be old knowledge repackaged. The lack of debates, critical thinking, and practical application between researchers and supervisors limits innovation. Universities need new policies to improve this and promote practical, innovative, and community-oriented research.
Stinginess in creating new generations
Like politics, the field of knowledge also suffers from neglect when it comes to building new generations. Those scholars who gain recognition in society through rigorous effort and continuous dedication rarely take an interest in preparing successors capable of bearing their knowledge and responsibilities. Some scholars may exhibit tendencies of not wanting others to know as much or more than they do in the fields of expertise they've mastered. Scholars should not be this selfish. They need to understand that if newer generations are prepared in a specific field of knowledge, their recognition and the enhancement of their legacy will still expand. All scholars should think that even after they are gone, the knowledge of their field continues to be practiced on this earth. This is only possible when the knowledge in their field keeps transferring to new generations.
The Need for Academic Encouragement
As mentioned above, if scholars are expected to prepare capable academics who can lead society, the state should also encourage them. We talk about the need to ensure the quality of scholars' research, but when a scholar tries to push researchers to work hard, they are often pressured into accepting substandard research. They are subjected to ideological discrimination and ultimately sidelined, stripped of responsibilities. Instead of encouraging scholars who uphold standards, we discourage them. Another issue is the lack of adequate reward for their work. A scholar who reads and evaluates a research paper of around 300 pages is not motivated to read it thoroughly because s/he is paid quite a low remuneration for executing such a minute academic task. As a result, instead of conducting an in-depth evaluation, the scholar provides feedback based only on the pay, which does not maintain high standards. Just as a poorly compensated teacher might teach "Tiger means cat," a research supervisor may avoid deep evaluations due to laziness resulting from inadequate pay. Universities offer such minimal compensation to scholars who guide researchers for years and bring them to the point of final presentation that it provides no incentive at all. Universities should consider providing academics with suitable and respectful remuneration for their efforts.
Encouragement, however, is not limited to remuneration only. Scholars should also be provided with facilities such as housing, transportation, and healthcare by the state. Those who lead society from darkness to light should not be reduced to loyal followers of political parties but should be allowed to perform their academic duties without interference.
(Dr. Madhav Prasad Dahal is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk Campus, TU)
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