Authors : Shubham Srivastava
Page Nos : 107-112
Description :
Over the last two decades India has seen tremendous growth in education especially in higher education, with approximately 61.4% of colleges located in rural regions and science enrolment exceeding 5.5 million students, in biotechnology and its allied disciplines and yet, rural biotechnology education continues to face persistent challenges, including limited laboratory infrastructure, inadequate research exposure, and insufficient skill-oriented training that cause poor work force in the field of biotechnology. These structural gaps are reflected in a lower Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in rural areas (25.7%) compared to urban regions (33.4%).
Integrated Research-Based Learning (IRBL) offers a transformative pedagogical framework by embedding inquiry-driven experimentation, hypothesis formulation, data analysis, bioinformatics exposure, and project-based learning within undergraduate and postgraduate biotechnology curricula that enables students to visualize the real life problems and their solutions. Closely aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which emphasizes experiential, learner-centred, and research-oriented education, IRBL facilitates early research exposure, interdisciplinary learning, and practical skill development. In this paper we critically examine IRBL as a strategic approach to bridge rural–urban disparities in biotechnology education. Our paper argues that curriculum-integrated research experiences can strengthen research culture in rural institutions, enhance student employability, and contribute to India’s long-term goals of scientific capacity building and inclusive, knowledge-driven development.
