PROf ASHOK MISHRA: Govt should not take a hasty decision, IITs are about quality not quantity

“Opening eight IITs at one go is definitely going to affect the brand that IIT is,” said Professor Ashok Mishra, National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI) president and former director, IIT Bombay. Professor Mishra was in the city to attend the three-day annual session and symposium of NASI at Panjab University.

Talking to Newsline, Professor Mishra said IITs have always been an elite brand. Increasing the number of these institutes might provide education, it will dilute its brand value.

“The government should have not rushed while taking such a decision. There are a lot of factors to be kept in mind if it wants to open an institute on the lines of the IIT. Faculty is one of the main factors responsible for the name that the IITs have become. The established institutes are already facing a crunch of good teachers. I wonder where the government will find so many teachers at one go,” said Professor Mishra.

He said the colleges should be opened in a phased manner rather than doing it just for the sake of it. “It is not about quantity but quality,” said mishra.

IITs have also had ‘snob value’ attached to them. What makes them stand apart from other institutes? “We have the best teachers who follow research-oriented teaching methodology. A lot of emphasis is thus laid on research and this is a reason why a large number of our students present papers at international conferences. The alumni too, have added glory to the institutes,” said Professor Mishra. “We do not produce cretins or geeks, we produce a complete individual,” he added.

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