Queries on the Panel Discussion

The topic in contention for the panel discussion during the recent Pan IIT Hyderabad meet on 20th September at ISB was,

"How do we increase the no of IITs without compromising quality and diluting the brand?"

Further details about the discussion and panelist could be found at the following link:

http://paniithyd.blogspot.com/2009/09/panel-discussion-and-lecture.html

The conclusion of the panel discussion is well summarized in the following article from Hindu:

http://www.hindu.com/2009/09/21/stories/2009092158200200.htm

Not all the queries from the audience could be answered at the end of panel discussion because of time constraints, so here we present some of the questions from the audience which we collected back then which are open for discussion. We would also try and get answers from the panelists as early as we can.

1) The first question is from Subodh, IIT Madras:

I see IIT's being mmodelled as COE (Centre's of Excellence i guess!!!), why not each IIT's have focus and do not duplicate each other? Can it not be a strategic direction IITs should take?

2) This is from Sandeep Giri, IIT Roorkee:

Rather than expanding horizontally - opening more engineering college, we should be expanding vertically - meaning absorbing at 10th class level!!!

3) Not sure who put this question :)

Why not improve the quality of existing Engineering colleges rather than investing on establishing new grassroot level IITs?

4) This one is from Srivatsava Sonkava, IIT Kharagpur:

Why is there no finishing school in any IIT?

5) This is from A Suresh, IIT Kahragpur:

It is accepted that we need to improve education system and infrastructure. Is expansion of IITs the panacea for our problems?

The panel has clearly accepted the shortage of quality faculty as well as standard of students is a concern. Hence instead of expanding IITs how about an Indian Institue of Education? This seems to be our main problem,

IIE can be for
-> New Faculty
-> Improvement in education systems
-> Ideas for innovation

6) This is from Gaurav Porwal, IIT Bombay directed at Prof. U. B. Desai:

The growth plans for IIT Hyderabad are very impressive in terms of the number of students and faculty. What gives you the confidence to achieve the numbers and in what time frame? As you know the well established IITs haven't been able to do anything close to it in 50 years.

7) This question if from Mallan Thangaraju, IIT Madras:

Engineers need fair degree of coaching in management education as engineers mostly end up as managers. Instead of engineers totally changing line and becoming marketing managers or finance managers!!!

8) This one is from Vishwanadha Kumar, IIT Madras:

In India, only 8 - 10 % students are admitting for higher education. So the suggestion is, taking students after 10th standard into IITs or any universities to decrease drop outs. The Indian governemnt was planning to train people for civils after 12th standard itself!!!

9) This one is from Rajesh, IIT Madras to Prof. U. B. Desai:

IITians are IITians because of the overall expirience they had at the IITs!!!

As said - it took 40 -5 0 yrs for the IITs to become global/perfecct. What aspects of current IITs are being learnt or documented to replicate in the new IITs? Like the student life.

10) This is form Naminder Dhir, IIT Kharagpur:

When Nehru had the vision to open IITs ina socialist environment, it shoudl definitely be possbile to scale up in a capitalist environment. Taking example of IT industry, see the wonders it has done to the society and made things possible that seemed unlikely.

IITs can definitely sustain themselves by involveing private corporates, IIT alumni and captains of the industry.

11) This one from Ravi, IIT Bombay is on Brand and Money:

Brand: There is certainly a need for scaling up, but why scaling up of IITs? This definitely decreases the brand value of IIT. WHy not build new institues and develop brands than using IIT's brand? Cadbury deosn't produce diary milk - 2 but it produces Eclairs, Perk etc!!!

Money: Use the money in giving it to profs rather than building new IITs.

12) This one is from Yugandhar:

What is it about the IIT education system that its pupils lack life skills? Do we blame the JEE system? By scaling IITs, are we not aggravating the problems along with the dimension?

13) The next is form Rajeshwari Ramanan, Scientist, CCMB:

Rather than having more IITs we could have polytechnics which will generate skilled labor which is the need of the day. Many of the lower end of the society cannot make it to IIT but could be trained in skills such as carpentary, masons etc.

14) This question is directed at Mr. A. K. Goel and Mr. Kannan:

The USO fund is built out of the revenue generated from Telecos to fund the building of the rural telecom networks. Is it not possible to charge a similar tax on all corporates and MNCs to fund faculty salary and state-of-art research?

15) This is from Jyoti Kumar, IIT Delhi:

When Pandit Nehru started IITs, there were already technical institues in India. He started IITs probably to test a new academic culture int he country. Today across the time that new academic culture has already been proven effective, isnt it time to change the culture of all older education system rather than blindly replicating a prototype model?

16) This is from Shailesh R Agarwal:

When we talk about student happiness, isn't it an expectation mdel and for a student entering IIT, the expectation is already set by society and not meeting it makes a student unhappy!!! What can be done?

The placement scenario in existing IITs is itself not that great, hwo will you adress this in new IITs? (Again Great 'Set' by expectation.)

17) This one is from Ashwani Kumar Gaur, IIT Kanpur:

'Student' point of view; What is driving students to IITs? BRAND -> It pays big bucks.

Why do you take 100 students int a department, say Electrical Engg.? Are they all going to be Electrical Engineers? NO!!!

Then why should they study huge books on 20 year old Technology? Free the Curriculum (Make the student choose his usbjects and diversify the subjects!!!)

18) And this one is from me, Sai Rahul, IIT Madras:

What are the pros and cons of creating new IITs and upgrading existing institutes/universities to IITs? Which would be a better approach? The second approach was successfully implemnted in case of IIT Roorkee in 2001.


Will add more questions when i get my hands on them. Until then, have fun with the present ones. The replies/opinons for the questions can be written as comments to the blog.

Sai Rahul, Pan IIT Hyderabad