Sibal asks IITs to create quality faculty for tech education

Noting that there is a mismatch between quantity and quality in technical education due to lack of good teachers, Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal today asked the IITs to play mentoring role in creating quality faculty.  

Speaking at the Convocation of IIT-Delhi, Sibal said despite growth in number of technical institutions, there had not been commensurate increase in quality graduates in the country.  

"The key missing link in this growth is the availability of quality faculty," he said.  

"The IITs should become centres of quality research. The IITs can play major mentoring role in creating quality faculty," he told reporters on the sidelines of the function.  

 

He said the IITs had been able to attract and retain quality faculty because of "other attractions" and their "commitment" to the IIT system.  

Sibal also emphasised on sharing of faculty among the IITs. He said the premier technical institutions could share their teaching programmes through the use of technology.  

The minister also called for more research activities and said for long scientists and technologists in the developing world were disadvantaged because of "distance from the market".

Sibal asked the IITs to compete with the best institutes of the world not only in terms of education and training but also in research output.  

The other challenges before the IITs is to act as a catalyst in growth of quality technical education in the country, he said.  

Sibal said the main problems confronting the country are poverty, water, diseases, environment, violence and terrorism and destruction of the traditional fabric.
"These problems represent trans-disciplinary challenges," he said.  He conferred Distinguished Alumni Award on Prof Sharad Malik and K Ananth Krishnan.        

IIT Delhi Director Prof Surendra Prasad said the institute, in association with other IITs, was in the process of setting up a virtual lab to help students of several smaller institutions.        

About 1,419 students will be awarded degrees in the 2-day convocation. As many as 181 students will be given away Ph.D, Prasad said.        

The research work in the IIT- Delhi had increased significantly in the last few years, Prasad said adding that the institute was running 138 research projects at present.        

Besides this, IIT Delhi has started an outreach programme under which it is offering courses to students in Ethiopia through technology mode, he said.