In most recent news, the Institute of Technology (IIT) Council has formed four working groups with the aim of increasing autonomy for the IITs. This decision falls in line with the National Education Policy recommendation, with the IITs wanting autonomy similar to what has been granted to the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs).
Composition of the IIT Council
The IIT Council is guided by the Education Minister and consists of directors from all IITs, along with the chairs of each IIT’s Board of Governors (BoG). The council is designed to provide advice on admission standards, course durations, degrees, and other academic distinctions. Furthermore, it sets policy concerning cadre, recruitment methods, and service conditions of all IIT employees.
Working Groups Within the Council
The Council is divided into four working groups. Group-1 is devoted to graded autonomy, empowered & accountable BoG and Director. Group-2 focuses on grooming accomplished academics for directorship of IITs. Group-3 is responsible for reforming and restructuring the Academic Senate. Finally, Group-4 addresses innovative funding mechanisms.
Additional Recommendations from the Council
The Council also recommended the use of technology. They suggest creating a task force to review technological use at all IITs, and to quicken the deployment of digital tools such as Blockchain, AI, ML, and Cloud Computing. Another recommendation involves reducing IIT staff strength to more manageable levels. Current structure has one faculty member for every ten students, and pre-approved 11 staff members for every ten faculty.
Encouragement for Research, Development and Collaboration
The council has proposed organising an IIT research and development fair to display quality research work conducted by IITs to industries. It also urged the IITs to create Institute Development Plans for enhancing faculty mobility between institutions and industries, thereby fostering research collaborations.
The Need for Autonomy
Autonomy benefits institutes by enabling better decision-making processes. Administrative and financial autonomy allows institutes to make valuable decisions that can potentially benefit students and the organisation as a whole. Without autonomy, majority of decisions are made by bureaucrats, who may lack the technical knowledge necessary for technical institutes. Full autonomy gives these institutes complete control on their policies and operations, and full responsibility for the value they provide.
Recently, an expert panel appointed to recommend measures to implement reservations at IITs has proposed that IITs should be exempted from caste reservations for faculty appointments, citing their status as institutes of national importance. This proposal emphasizes the need for autonomy at IITs. Furthermore, autonomy would ensure undivided responsibility, moving away from the maintenance of the status quo, which is unfeasible in today’s India.
Note: The information provided in this article was sourced from The Hindu.