Will doubling the number of IITs in two years dilute the brand?

The good news for those who sat for the recently concluded joint entrance exam (JEE) for admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) is that they have a marginally better chance of getting in because the number of seats has increased to more than 7,000 from around 6,000 in 2007.

Apart from the existing seven, six new IITs started last academic session, and two more will become operational from the current session. The Union human resource development ministry set up six IITs in Bihar, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat and Orissa last year. Two IITs — in Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh — will begin functioning this year. With 15 IITs in place, millions of aspirants should have heaved a sigh of relief. But the picture is not as rosy as it seems.

For one, 7,000-odd seats are still too few for the 4 lakh students who applied this year. Second, although the new IITs are functional, most of them do not have the requisite faculty and infrastructure. In fact, many do not even have a campus. All these institutes are still trying to find their feet. Each new IIT has been assigned a mentor institute to enable its setting up and smooth functioning.

“We are making all efforts to ensure that the quality of education imparted at the new IITs stays up to par with the older institutions,” says Surendra Prasad, director, IIT Delhi, the mentor for IIT Ropar, Punjab. The first batch of IIT Ropar is studying at the Delhi campus. “In July the students will move to Ropar but we will continue to provide them support till the time they are on their own,” he adds.

Currently, IIT Guwahati — mentor institute for IIT Patna — runs the new IIT in Bihar with the help of a dean and an associate dean stationed there. IIT Patna has its own staff including a registrar who reports to the dean. “We are looking for some senior faculty for IIT Patna to replace our senior faculty stationed there,” says Gautam Barua, director, IIT Guwahati. At present, IIT Patna has 24 faculty members who handle the entire teaching load.

Each new IIT is expected to have 120 seats and offer three courses in the first year. But the new institutes are finding it difficult to set up a permanent campus in such a short time. Classes for the IITs in Orissa and Rajasthan are functioning out of the IITs in Kharagpur and Kanpur respectively. IIT Mumbai mentors the IIT at Gandhinagar, Gujarat, and will take up the additional responsibility of IIT Indore from this academic session. IIT Patna, now operating out of temporary premises, has yet to receive the 500 acres of land earmarked for them. “Delay in handing over land will delay construction,” says Barua. This in turn will create problems, he says, as more space would be required when students start their fourth year.

The problem is that the new IITs are being set up in a span of two academic sessions, unlike the older IITs which were established in a phased manner. The first five IITs (Kharagpur, Bombay, Madras, Kanpur and Delhi) were set up between 1951 and 1961. After a 30-year lull, IIT Guwahati and IIT Roorkee were set up in 1994 and 2001 respectively.

The IITs are trying to attract quality staff by offering extra emoluments. Apart from incentives such as a joining bonus and a one-year paid sabbatical for every seven years of work, new faculty members are also being given a Rs 5-lakh research grant to develop necessary research capability in their area of expertise. Faculty members are also entitled to on-campus housing, medical coverage, leave travel concession and retirement benefits.

Despite the staff crunch, it isn’t easy to get an offer from the IITs. To become an assistant professor, three years of experience is required in teaching, research or any industrial field. A senior position demands eight to 10 years of work experience.

The other factor hindering the development of the new IITs is their lack of directors for which Cabinet approval is awaited. Unfortunately, both houses of Parliament can pass the IIT Act Amendment Bill only after the ongoing Lok Sabha elections are over and a government is formed. “The passing of the Bill will enable the creation of a board of governors and other statutory bodies,” says Barua.

However, despite teething problems, the new IITs and their mentors are raring to go. With separate funds being provided to mentor institutions to run the new IITs, things are moving in the right direction. Some IITs have even benefited from mentoring students on campus. “We provide them the same facilities and ambience as IIT Delhi students,” says Prasad. Making boarding and lodging arrangements for the extra students in the mentor’s campus means expanding existing infrastructure, which will eventually benefit the mentor institution. “The effort is worthwhile, since it will later help us to meet our own requirements as the student strength at IIT Delhi has increased,” he adds.

With IITs more than doubling in number, the question that troubles many is whether its brand value will get diluted. “The brand won’t be affected,” says S.P. Gupta of IIT Roorkee, co-ordinator for IIT Himachal Pradesh.

But not everyone is convinced. “The IITs should be spread out all over the country, not one to every state,” says S. Janardhanan, assistant professor, department of electrical engineering, IIT Delhi. “If every state has an IIT then how different would it be from the National Institutes of Technology?” he asks.

That is a fear that stalks the minds of most IITians but very few have the courage to acknowledge it.

Sources:The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)