Decision to set up eight new IITs
has sparked an interesting debate. Students from the older IITs have begun an
online petition seeking review of the move, and 6,000 signatures were gathered
in less than a week. Among the issues raised by the students are acute shortage
of competent teaching staff, and inadequate facilities.
Available reports indicate
that existing IITs in India have 6,591 sanctioned posts. Only 4,079 have been
filled, a mere 62% of total requirement. Among these faculty positions are also
teachers on visiting, adjunct and contractual arrangements.
What is more, the eight IITs
set up in 2009 have not yet shifted to permanent campuses.Students fear that if
eight new institutes are set up in such a situation, they will be no better
than the eight struggling IITs set up in 2009. Such a state of affairs would
result in the dilution of the IIT brand, said Manu Agarwal, a student of IT at
the Banaras Hindu University-IIT.
Agarwal pointed out that the
average strength of any IIT is around 1,000 students, while the eight IITs set
up in 2009 have confined the maximum number of students to 500.
What this means is that these
eight IITs have been running at half capacity because of the lack of teachers
and necessary infrastructure.
In many IITs, students share rooms meant
for single occupancy in the hostels, and three students are sometimes expected
to live in rooms meant for only two. Laboratories and classrooms are
inadequately furnished, Agarwal said.
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