Narayana Murthy Proposes $1 Billion Investment In Training School Teachers — All About The Infosys Founder's Big Idea

N R Narayana Murthy has proposed a yearly expenditure of $1 billion to provide training for school teachers.

The software icon has suggested enlisting the help of 10,000 retired and highly accomplished teachers from both the developed world as well as India, with a focus on STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).

However, Murthy said that this training programme alone is not enough.

"We must show much respect and pay better salaries to our teachers and researchers. We must also provide better facilities to our researchers. We must honour them. They are role models for our youngsters. That is why we instituted the Infosys Prize in 2009. It is our small contribution to further the cause of research in India," he said.

Murthy has suggested inviting retired and highly skilled teachers as a way to expedite the outcomes of the National Education Policy (NEP). The idea is to establish 2,500 "Train the Teacher" colleges across all 28 states and eight Union territories in India.

This training programme should be year-long, according to Murthy, who made his remarks at the press conference accompanying the Infosys Science Foundation's announcement of the Infosys Prize 2023.

"Experts tell me that each set of four trainers can train 100 primary school teachers and 100 secondary school teachers a year. We will be able to train 250,000 primary school teachers and 250,000 secondary school teachers every year by this method," the Infosys founder said.

Additionally, these trained Indian teachers have the potential to become trainers themselves within a five-year time frame.

"We should pay about $100,000 a year for each of these retired teachers. This 20-year programme will cost us $1 billion a year and $20 billion for 20 years. Our nation, targeting a GDP of $5 trillion soon, will not find it a big financial burden," said Murthy, the trustee of Infosys Science Foundation.

If this cost seems high, according to Murthy, it is worth considering the wise words of Derek Bok, a former president of Harvard University.

Bok once said, "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance."

The recommendation comes at a time when some governments are increasing spending on freebies while cutting budgets for science and research and development. Murthy said he made the suggestion with the spirit of betterment of the country.

"In an environment like India’s, there are always suggestions by various people, and I’m sure we have a set of experts who will evaluate those suggestions. And if it is found to be worthwhile, they may take it forward.

"Otherwise, it won’t, that’s natural. And therefore, I think all these suggestions should be welcomed, as long as it is given with the spirit of betterment of the country,” Murthy said.

S Gopalakrishnan, another Infosys co-founder and president of the Board of Trustees, emphasised the need for a different approach as India's GDP continues to grow.

"We would like to see faster implementation of that policy. It is not enough that we make a recommendation; its implementation is equally important. And it is in that spirit that Mr Murthy, I believe, has made this recommendation," he said.

In his remarks, Murthy emphasised that a nation goes through four stages in the lifecycle of invention and innovation, with progress from stage one to stage four being achieved through education and research.

According to him, India has achieved significant success in various fields such as atomic energy, space exploration, vaccine production and distribution, green revolution, electric cars, and generic medicines. This places India in stage two in most areas and stage three in a few areas.

However, there are still some important areas where we are in stage one, including the design of livable cities, pollution management, traffic management, and providing clean and safe water.

India should strive to reach stage four in all aspects that impact the lives of its most underprivileged citizens, even in the most remote areas of the country, according to Murthy.

He suggests that the solution lies in enhancing the research and education standards in higher learning institutions to generate innovative ideas, and then implementing those ideas swiftly and with utmost quality.