CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 92, NO. 1, 10 JANUARY 2007 10 USA in academic quality and the eminence of its President and Prime Minister. We need to only slightly change our mindset and reorganize what we have to start our journey to be at par with US universities. It is a pity that our Education Ministry and academic leaders have not been able to rid our schools and colleges of the CET/PMT tuition mania, which is nothing short of a social and academic scourge leading to massive social exploitation of students and parents, putting undue emphasis on all chasing an engineering or a medical college admission at any cost, including buying leaked question papers at whopping prices! A simpler option to restore the credibility or accept the system of CBSE/ICSE as such, does not seem to occur to anyone. Modernization of our exams can rid us of our UMC (Unfair Means Case) forever. It is not just a student who copies but an obsolete examination system which allows it. Make science examination more scientific. Above all, why not make science learning lucrative? Which technology can grow without science and where can science be taught without practicals but through mere tuitions? Indian science is being killed in intermediate schools and colleges by this rat race for technology at the cost of science. Seeds of science indeed can be sown only in the young minds through a balanced and psychologically wise solution to our highly polarized or distorted science teaching as well as learning. Most of the elite universities in India have the same type of assets or liabilities of resources, and manpower as well as solutions are indeed common. A slight change of mindsets and management strategies can improve our educational institutions. A study/sabbatical leave and academic stay outside our own, in India or abroad, does a lot to kindle newer ideas and fresh perspectives. Such journeys can do a lot to homogenize the educational intellect and open up new vistas of a trendy education system capable of becoming an industry in itself. We need to focus much more on our alumni across the world that are ever willing to give ideas as well as support. The alumni page on the website of a university can kindle the minds of our young students as well as faculty. We are indeed rich in such unharnessed assets to augment our academic system. Indian science can have a much brighter future with small grassroots modifications, which are indeed the need of the hour across the country.