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New Delhi: A new fee
structure, a common entrance test giving weightage to Class 12
exam marks and higher focus on research were among the issues
discussed at a meeting here Wednesday of the Indian Institutes of
Technology (IIT) Council.
The council, a governing body responsible for all the IITs, took a
look at a proposal to indirectly hike the annual fee of a general
category student from Rs.50,000 to Rs.2 lakh.
"The expenditure on one student in IIT is Rs.7-8 lakh, whereas the
fee is Rs.50,000," Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal
said after the meeting.
"We said the fee cannot be hiked, but under the new system
discussed, the student will pay the same fee at the time of
admission. When they start working, the rest of their fee will be
paid in instalments from their salaries," the minister said.
The student will, however, be exempted if he or she goes for
higher education, Masters or Ph.D., or takes up academics and
teaching.
"The immediate difference of fee will be borne by the government.
If a student has any gainful employment, he will have to pay back
the difference in installments," Sibal said.
Students from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and from
the non-creamy layer of other backward category will be exempted
from the fee hike.
"According to the calculations, only 25 percent of the students
will be affected by this," Sibal said.
The minister added that a final decision will be taken after
consultation with states.
The council also agreed in principle to hold a common entrance
test for engineering colleges.
"There are two aims behind holding a common entrance test. First,
to reduce the burden on children for giving multiple entrance
test, and, second, to maintain the diversity of India inside the
IITs," Sibal said.
"Presently only those who can afford coaching for entrance exams
are going to the IITs," he said.
Under the new system suggested, weightage would be given to the
marks obtained by a student in Class 12 examinations.
Sibal, however, added that whether the colleges under state
government will be included or not under the system would be
decided only after a meeting with state governments.
"The Indian Statistics Institute has arrived at a formula for
equalising marks in all boards. If one board gives 90 percent as
highest marks, and the other gives 75 percent, the marks will be
equalised on the basis of a formula," Sibal said.
Producing more research scholars was one of the key issues taken
up during the meeting, with the council deciding to enhance the
capacity of IITs to produce 10,000 Ph.D. graduates annually from
around 1,000 presently and increase faculty strength from around
4,000 presently to 16,000 by 2020.
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