CBSE-JEE killing diversity in academic thought: BITS VC, former IITD director

Rao was delivering a lecture titled “Unleashing India's Scientific Potential: Breaking barriers and igniting Innovation” organised by IISER, Pune and Maharashtra Academy of Sciences.

V Ramgopal Rao, Group Vice-Chancellor of Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani, Joint Entrance Examination, BITS VC, CBSE, Indian express news, current affairsProf V Ramgopal Rao (left) with D Amalnerkar, president of Maharashtra Academy of Sciences and IISER Pune Director Prof Sunil Bhagwat.

CBSE schooling and national level entrance examinations like the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) are killing diversity in academic thought, said Professor V Ramgopal Rao, Group Vice-Chancellor of Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani in Pune on August 20. Rao served as the Director of IIT Delhi from 2016-21 and is a renowned researcher in Nanoelectronics.

Rao was delivering a lecture titled “Unleashing India’s Scientific Potential: Breaking barriers and igniting Innovation” organised by IISER, Pune and Maharashtra Academy of Sciences.

He said, “The problem with India is, though we are culturally so diverse, we have lost that diversity in academic institutions. In all IITs, CBSE has normalised everything. Everybody prepares through the same CBSE. And if any diversity is left after CBSE, JEE will kill that. By the time they come to our academic institutions everybody thinks exactly the same way, solves the problems exactly the same way.”

Rao was responding to a question on how to identify which papers and patents had the potential to transform into products. He also said, “I think for innovation to happen, unlike minds need to come together. In terms of disciplinary training it could be different disciplines talking to each other. In terms of attitude, somebody from industry talking to academics, completely different attitudes towards the same problem. Unlike in terms of culture too.”

In the lecture, the vice chancellor stressed that even though India had made some strides in the number of educational institutes and the number of research papers published, more effort was required in increasing the number of researchers as compared to the population, improving the quality of research, science funding, R&D in private companies, and industry academia collaboration.

Rao has authored over 500 research publications and holds 50 patents. 20 of these are granted US patents and 15 are licensed for commercial use. His group’s CMOS-SoC intellectual property is used in hundreds of millions of integrated circuits. He has also co-founded two deep tech startups—Nanosniff and Soilsens.

Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting. Professional Background Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune. Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics. Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories: 1. Investigations & Governance "Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents. "44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families. 2. Education & Campus Life Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. "Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial. "Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers. 3. Human Rights & Social Issues "Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India. "'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying. Signature Style Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty. X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... Read More


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