BITS campus in Hyderabad soon

Andhra Pradesh, which contributes around 45 per cent of the total student intake at Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, will soon have its own BITS campus. The premier educational institution will be setting up a 200-acre campus replete with academic centres, residential facilities and activity hubs, at an investment of over Rs 160 crore at Jawahar Nagar, Shamirpet.

On the occasion of the ground-breaking ceremony of the campus, S Venkate-swaran, vice-chancellor, BITS Pilani, said, "The Andhra Pradesh government had actually planned to give this land for free to us. Our management, however, decided to pay for it. So the government allocated this land at a very nominal amount to us." The land was allocated at a throwaway price of Rs 1.5 lakh per acre. This is the third campus of BITS in the country.

Venkateswaran added that the Hyderabad campus will have 11 educational programmes initially. "We will have five science and six engineering courses," he said. According to V S Rao, deputy director (off-campus programmes) and dean (practice school division), BITS Pilani, the institution may also start a course in very large scale integration (VLSI) design here as the state is likely to play host to Fab City. The Hyderabad campus will also undertake significant research activity in future.

The first academic year for BITS in Hyderabad is scheduled for 2007-08 with a student intake of 600. "By 2010-11, we will have a total student strength on campus of around 2,500," Rao said. By that period, BITS will have a student strength of approximately 9,000 across its centres in Pilani, Goa and Hyderabad.

The institution will be employing around 50 faculty members initially for the Hyderabad campus and will gradually increase that number to more than 200 by 2010-11.

...to hike fees

BITS will be increasing its fee structure from 2006-07. According to V S Rao, deputy director (off-campus programmes) and dean (practice school division), BITS Pilani, the institution will increase its fees from Rs 40,000 to Rs 45,000 per annum from the next academic year.

"There is a revision in our fee structure every four-five years and we are, therefore, increasing the fees by Rs 5,000 this time," he added.

BITS was also considering introducing reservation for female students as they comprise a mere 14 per cent of the total student intake at BITS. But the issue has now been put on the back-burner.

"At one point, we had 45 per cent of our students from the female fraternity. But from the time we have started competitive exams, the numbers have dwindled. Girls have not been performing well in the entrance exams," Rao said, adding that they are now converting their girls' hostels to those for the boys.

BITS is also mulling setting up a campus in the US.

BITS is also mulling setting up a campus in the US. According to S Venkateswaran, vice-chancellor, BITS Pilani, a campus in the US is an eventuality.

"We, however, have to first work on our Indian campuses," he added.

The Dubai campus, which currently has a student strength of 1,000, is likely to increase to 2,000 in the near future.