Government has 'complete trust' in IIT, IIM faculty: Sibal

New Delhi: Objecting to Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh's view that the IIMs and IITs did not have world-class faculty, Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal Thursday said the government had "complete trust in the creative potential" of the teaching staff in these premier institutes.

"I want to place on record complete trust in creative potential of faculty of IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology) and IIMs (Indian Institutes of Management). Almost 25 percent IIT faculty comprises students of IITs. Surely, if there are world-class students, there must be world-class faculty," Sibal told mediapersons here.

He said the reality was that IITs had "not gained critical mass to change global scientific discourse" but the problem did not relate to their faculty.

He said India spent less than a third of the money the US did on research and that was "not the fault of (IIT) faculty".

Citing some instances of world-class research by IIT professors, Sibal said the inability was of the system to create that critical mass.

Sibal denied that he was opposing or differing with the views of Ramesh, which has stirred a controversy in the academic community over the last three days.

"The minister (Ramesh) is entitled to his opinion. (But) it was necessary for the government to clear the record. The government is entitled to state its position too," Sibal said.

Sibal admitted that he had received calls from IIT faculty complaining about Ramesh's remarks.

Ramesh had, on the sidelines of a function Monday, said there was hardly any worthwhile research done at IITs or IIMs and had blamed the faculty for the poor quality of work being done by these institutions.

"There is hardly any worthwhile research from our IITs. The faculty in the IIT is not world class. It is the students in IITs who are world class. So the IITs and IIMs are excellent because of the quality of students not because of quality of research or faculty," Ramesh, who is an alumnus of IIT-Mumbai from where he did his Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering in 1975, had said.

According to Sibal, historically IITs were not meant for research but the government had made a shift in their system for the past few years as the country needs "more M Techs and doctors".

Pointing to the growth of publications in scientific citation index journals from IITs, he said that the number had risen significantly over the past few years.

He said the government was working towards new initiatives and the country's research institutions would have gained global eminence in the next seven-10 years.

Sibal's remarks came a day after Water Resources and Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid defended Ramesh over his remarks, saying the academic atmosphere in which free exchanges take place is different from formal official announcements that are made by ministers.

 

                                           Home | Top of the Page

Top Stories

Khurshid defends Ramesh's criticism of IITs, IIMs

Water Resources and Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid Wednesday defended Environment and Forests Minister Jairam  »

War of words over Jairam Ramesh slamming IITs, IIMs

Is even one of our institutions world class, asks Sibal

IIT, IIM faculty is not world-class, says Jairam Ramesh

  Most Read

10 killed as air ambulance crashes near Delhi

At least 10 people, including seven on board a chartered air ambulance carrying a critically ill patient, were »

Air ambulance with 8 passengers crashes near Delhi

Sanaa airport closed after fierce fighting

Sanaa’s international airport was closed and flights were diverted to Aden in the south as heavy clashes erupted between tribesmen and Republican Guards in the capital May 25, Arab News correspondent reported from Sanaa in Yemen. Tribesmen belonging to Arhab, the tribe of preacher Abdul Majid Al-Zindani were engaged in running  »

  News Pick

IIT JEE results declared, 3 students of Rehmani 30 among the successful

Putting an end to the wait of over 4.85 lakh students, the   »

IIT-JEE topper aspires to be a civil servant

3.6 lakh disabled in Kashmir, many protest raw deal

Jammu and Kashmir has more than 3.6 lakh physically challenged people and the numbers have increased due to over two decades of violence, say statistics released here Wednesday by an association representing them.   »

Low-intensity blast near Delhi High Court, no casualties

A crude bomb went off outside the Delhi High Court complex Wednesday, but there were no casualties or damage, police said. The blast occurred around 1.15 p.m., a busy weekday afternoon when the court was in session  »

Kerala Medical Entrance: Irfan, Shammi bag first two ranks

V Irfan and N Shammi have won the first two ranks in the Kerala state Medical Entrance Exams of 2011. Education Minister P Abdurabb announced the results yesterday in a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram.  »

Queen's apology sought for Jallianwala massacre

An Indian-origin Labour Party MP has asked the British monarch to formally apologize for the massacre of Indians at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar and other killings during the Raj. Virendra Sharma, MP from Ealing Southall in  »

Picture of the Day

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov witnessing the signing of agreements between two countries, in New Delhi on May 18, 2011.

(Photo: BM Meena)