Council to ensure IITs maintain their academic standard
September 06, 2008: The Indian Express
The Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (SAC-PM) is considering ways and means to ensure that excellence remains a byword for the higher education institutes.
At a SAC-PM meeting, chaired by Prof C N R Rao, it was decided that serious measures are required to ensure that the academic and research quality at institutes like IITs does not suffer in the face of hurriedly pushed through expansion, as done by the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry.
“The meeting discussed how to improve research profile of educational institutes. It was felt that expansion should not distract institutes from the primary and major goal of improving research quality. At IITs more so, as research quality is not as stellar as it should be and this could take a further hit with all resources now targeted towards meeting the needs of expanded institutes — either mentoring new IITs or sharing campus with them. After all, the budget allocated for these institutes does not substantially address the needs for research infrastructure,¶ a committee member told The Indian Express. “In a month’s time details of the measures needed to be taken to arrest any dip in academic and research quality will be submitted,¶ added the member.
Meanwhile, Prof C N R Rao, the chairperson of SAC-PM and the PM’s science advisor, reiterated his disappointment over the pushing through of six new IITs this year without any prior preparation.
“You cannot start IITs without any planning. These institutes have recruited students. There is no campus, no directors, but they have students. Now we have to do some patchwork,¶ he said on the sidelines of a CII event in New Delhi.
