Dr M.M. Pallam Raju addresses 47th Meeting of Councils of IITs

The major issue which was discussed related to positioning of IITs globally. Although the undergraduate engineering programmes of the IITs are some of the best ones offered globally, on composite indicator rankings, there is scope for improvement. The focus is now on augmenting research.

A number of measures have been approved to encourage students to enroll in Ph.D programmes in IITs. For students of CFTIs, with CGPA above 7.0, admission into IITs would be possible without a GATE examination.

The IIT research systems are to work closely with national development goals such as defence, energy, urban development and manufacturing.

On the ranking front, a Committee of IIT Directors is looking into the issue and has already interacted with QS ranking officials to understand the methodology of the ranking agencies and systems.

Towards enhancing transparency and accountability, an annual performance appraisal of the IIT Director by the Board of Governors (BoGs) of respective IITs was emphasized. A new IIT Council website was inaugurated with an aim to place information in public domain.

A leadership development programme, first for the senior management and then for the younger faculty is expected to be introduced for the IITs to help augment leadership qualities of the top management in IITs. External Peer Review and Accreditation of IITs were also emphasized.

The IIT Council approved the decision of the Joint Admission Board (JAB) to continue with the JEE Advanced examination pattern introduced last year. The Meeting was also attended by Chairmen and Directors of 16 IITs besides other members of the Council.