Stricter evaluation, but what about facilities: IIT professors ask

Two days after the Council of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) decided to introduce an evaluation system to weed out new non-performing professors and hike

Two days after the Council of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) decided to introduce an evaluation system to weed out new non-performing professors and hike MTech fee around ten times, staff members and students have raised objections.

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IIT students and professors took to social media to point out that in many of the institutes new professors do not have access to basic facilities for research.

“On what basis will the institute review a newly appointed professor’s work, because in many IITs, new professors struggle to find a laboratory or any other basic facility...They are often able to start research work only after the first year or even later. One can’t evaluate someone’s performance without first giving them basic tools,” said a professor from IIT-Bombay. According to the IIT Council’s decision, new faculty, joining after September 27, will be reviewed after five-and-a-half years and poor performers may be asked to leave, said officials. The council also decided to hike the MTech fees for every student to ₹2 lakh per annum, from ₹20,000-₹50,000 per annum, to bring it at par with BTech fees.

The council has also decided to stop the payment of a monthly stipend of ₹12,400 to all MTech students who secure admission through the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE).

“Many MTech students opt for the course through GATE because of the monthly stipend. If the IIT Council doesn’t want such students, they should change the admission rules instead of introducing such changes, which will dissuade students from joining IITs altogether,” said an MTech student from IIT Delhi.

Many IITs released statements to answer the queries of staff members and students. In a statement issued on Sunday, IIT Madras said the fee for MTech programmes has not been revised for many years.

“The fee is being increased particularly to deter students who discontinue the course mid-way. The increase in fees will be gradual, and only for future admissions, and will be decided by the BoG (Board of Governors) of each IIT,” said a spokesperson for IIT-Madras.

The institute also clarified that scholarships given to reserved category students and the limited number of scholarships being given to meritorious MTech students will continue.