The Indian Institutes of Technology ( IITs) are undoubtedly crown jewels in India’s system of higher education. Their contribution to making India largely self-reliant in top-notch manpower needs in diverse areas of engineering in the pre-liberalisation era, and to India’s emergence as a powerhouse in the knowledge economy in the era of liberalisation and globalisation is uncontestable. Even IITians who went abroad in large numbers have served the motherland in their own ways by achieving excellence in their professions and thus enhancing India’s prestige globally.

With India beginning to offer better opportunities than before for the flowering of their talent, many of them are either returning home or supporting technology-driven ventures here, thus transforming “brain drain” into “brain gain”. True, IITs have many shortcomings. But none can deny their potential to address unmet expectations and to make India more proud. Which is why, there is a clamor for more of them to be set up. And the UPA government deserves kudos for its decision to establish nine new IITs, adding to the earlier bouquet of seven.

Given the enormous prestige they enjoy, it was disconcerting to know that over 1,500 IIT teachers went on a one-day hunger strike last week. As an alumnus of IIT Bombay, I was both puzzled and perturbed by their unprecedented protest action. However, after speaking to several retired and current professors, I am convinced that the teachers’ case is more than half justified.

Two sets of issues are agitating the IIT faculty. One is related to the pay of new entrants. Contrary to public perception, IIT teachers are not very highly paid. The starting salary of an assistant professor with a PhD is a mere

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