Prof (Dr) Koshy was addressing a gathering at CMS College Kottayam during a function got up to inaugurate the Koshy Institute of Mathematics at the college on MondayKerala, with its high levels of literacy, should work its way towards attaining optimal education output, Thomas Koshy, professor emeritus of Mathematics, Framingham State University, US, has said.
Prof (Dr) Koshy was addressing a gathering at CMS College Kottayam during a function got up to inaugurate the Koshy Institute of Mathematics at the college on Monday. The centre, pioneered by Prof Koshy, intends to promote the learning, research, and development of Mathematics. A release issued here said 'meeting global standards and local needs simultaneously' would be the clarion call of the age and the centre aims to deliver this to the intelligentsia of the nation.'
Prof Koshy said higher benchmarks in education cannot be set and attained overnight. It required structural changes. Referring to the semester system, he wondered whether it was just a cosmetic change.
He said the system should have offered flexibility, choices, and a scope for in-depth teaching by professors.
He was sceptical of a system wherein a person teaches a course prepared by someone else and then graded by a third party. He said the moot question should be whether the system allows students to make ability and creativity-based intellectual progress.
Prof Koshy said the curriculum should be made dynamic to deal with the challenges of the 21st century.
Research
Research could be a fun, rewarding, and exciting endeavour. It required a strong foundation in the fundamentals and exposure to new and exciting areas, he said. The professor said researchers should be compensated with flexible schedules, reduced teaching hours, and financial rewards.
Recollecting an encounter with an 11-year-old girl of Indian parents in the US who had mastered everything in a 700-page Number Theory textbook for fourth-year undergraduates, Prof Koshy asked if our education system was mature enough to nurture truly gifted young minds of this sort.
He exuded confidence that CMS College, with its long history and tradition, will strive to become a 'world class university promoting excellence.'
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