Murthy backs autonomy for IITs

Pointing out that the IITs were nowhere near the quality standards achieved in research by the top 10 US colleges,he said,“We have to figure out the reasons and eradicate the problems at the earliest,so that IIT-K can be ranked amongst the top 10 engineering colleges of the world by 2010.”

Murthy said it was imperative that the Indian Government refrain from interfering in the administrative decisions of the institutes.

“The IIT Board should be given more freedom,and any decision regarding fee hike or raise of salary of faculty members should be taken by the Board members. If government wants to help bright students from financially disadvantaged background,they can be given a scholarship but the fee structure should be decided by IIT Board.”

Murthy also flagged the poor salary structure of faculty members as an area of concern that ultimately hampered research. “Compared to many countries,the salary structure of IIT faculty is extremely low. As a result,the faculty members are often attracted to other jobs,” he said. Citing the 25 to 30 per cent shortage of faculty being faced by higher educational institutions,he spoke of the urgent need to attract young talent to research.

M Anandakrishnan,the Chairman of Board of Governors of IIT said that there was a misconception that the majority of IITians preferred to work abroad.

“Only 15 per cent of the IIT pass outs have been employed in foreign countries,whereas the majority of 85 per cent of IIT students are working within the country,” he added.

Director,IIT-K,Sanjay Govind Dhande attributed the success of the institute to the faculty members,administrative staff and students.

The function included a documentary on the 50 year journey of IIT-K beginning at a campus loaned out from another institute to its present grandeur.

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