Increasing engineering institutes affecting quality: President

Expresses concern at findings of recent surveys which have not placed a single Indian higher education institute in world rankings

The proliferation of engineering Institutes in the country because of burgeoning demand has taken a toll on quality of education and physical infrastructure, President Pranab Mukherjee said today.

His speech which was read out at the second convocation of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi, as Mukherjee could not visit the function because bad weather did not allow his helicopter to reach there.

In the speech, Mukherjee, expressed concerns at the findings of recent surveys which have not placed a single higher education institute of India in world rankings.

Mukherjee said, "The growing demand for engineering education has resulted in the establishment of a number of technical institutions. Yet in this proliferation drive, quality of instruction and physical infrastructure has taken a backseat."

"The educational standard of our country at the tertiary level has been starkly brought out by two reputed international surveys. They have graded not a single Indian institution amongst the top two hundred universities in the world," he said.

The President said country has few institutions that can do much better in the rankings with a more proactive and methodological approach.

"A higher rank can open fresh avenues of growth and placement for students. It can also encourage a greater flow of faculty and students from abroad, opening new vistas of frontier technology," he said.

Mukherjee said newly-created institutions will take some time to be in the reckoning.

"Nevertheless, you must take keen interest in the process not only with the objective of securing a rank but also to achieve all-round academic development," he said.