Dear Students,
LAST WEEK WE ASKED:
Do you think IITs or IIMs are good institutions because of their students and not faculty members?
BEST RESPONSE
IIMs/IITs are wonderful places with outstanding faculty and students. But there are issues on quality that need to be sorted out. The value addition that takes place for students at IITs/IIMs would have been impossible if there would not have been considerable quality education being imparted. We have faculty who are definitely world class, but then there are also cases which were otherwise. I think it is largely systemic flaw and by and large faculty at IITs/IIMs are victims of government policy therefore Jairam's statement should have propelled us to introspection, rather than spiteful retribution.
OTHER RESPONSES
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It is a self-defeating question. The reason is that it is not possible to define either a teacher or a student without the other. Both remain an equally active participant in the process of teaching. The definition of a good teacher is one who creates good students. A teacher cannot be termed ‘good’ unless the final sum of his actions result in good students. And a similar logic works the other way as well. So instead of focussing on what now is political rhetoric, I think praise is due for the system which not only produces such excellent students, but also provides the teachers with an ecosystem to flourish.
When one uses the word 'institution', no single entity, be it the students, teachers or the administration for that matter, can in itself make an institution good. It always is a result of good coherence of all the bodies involved. It is the teachers whose wisdom polishes the students' skills and leads him and it is the students who challenge the status quo to keep the teachers on their toes towards further improvement. It is a two way process and as they say “Learning never stops”.
—Bhushan Bapat, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), Delhi
No Indian institute or university ranks among the top 30 in Asia, in contrast, their alumni feature in the rankings of world leaders in the corporate, financial and associated worlds. The value addition that takes place for a student who spends two years in an IIT or IIM, would be impossible if there wasn't a considerable degree of quality education being imparted. Hence, it would not be proper to say that an institution is good only because of its students.
—Sanket Agrawal, Institute of Management, Nirma University (IMNU), Ahmedabad
IIT/IIM faculty members accomplish the task of refining students who join these institutes and they accomplish this task without any fanfare. They are responsible for moulding raw brilliance into a readily acceptable and employable asset to international market and this is no mean achievement. In spite of the recent debates on IITs and IIMs being of lesser global standards, what matters is the ultimate analysis of the quality of graduates who pass out. In short, students and teachers at IITs/IIMs are world class alike.
—A Bhuvana Bhimaiah, Alagappa University, Karaikudi
Today in India, IIM and IIT students are known as the smartest individuals by corporates and thus they are offered a premium. It is also because getting admission into these institutes is not easy due to immense competition. Media have portrayed IIMs and IITs in such a way that companies get thirsty for talents from these institutes. But if we see in the limelight, the faculty is not upto the mark, barring a few as also reported by our environment minister recently. It is just that these students are naturally intelligent and they read a lot, while the 'brand name' of IITs and IIMs make them preferable for employers.
—Kaushal Majithia, Fr. Agnels Business School, New Mumbai
The faculty and students always share a symbiotic bond. It is the combined effort of the educational system, students and faculty that establishes a good institution. Faculty members at these institutes may be leading academics in the Indian context, but have remained insignificant in the global top echelons of management thought leadership. On the other hand, we should admit that it is a challenge to teach students who are sharp and bright and also that firms do not hire these students directly after they clear the JEE or CAT. Hence, it will be unfair to say that IITs or IIMs are good institutions because of their students and not faculty members.
—Debashish Banerjee, Symbiosis Institute of Operations Management (SIOM), Nashik
IITs have one of the toughest entrance exams - selecting only one out of every 100 students, choosing the very best. Although, the same can’t be said about the faculty. IITs can’t be selective in hiring the faculty as they already face an acute faculty crunch. World over, IITs have made repute because of the high posts their alumni have gone to hold and not because of some path-breaking research which revolutionised an industry nearby them, quite unlike the Stanford and MIT. A gruelling curriculum ensures the students to be the best in their field whereas absence of a faculty enhancement programme doesn’t add to the faculty profile.
—Rahul Gautam, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi
Jairam Ramesh is absolutely correct in his assessment and there is no need for the IIT staff and others to be apologetic.The fault is not with the staff but with the funding for universities. There is no doubt that the IITs, IIMs and IISc are premier institutions imparting good training for technology subjects. That is why they have a market in the many renowned academic institutions in the world. But it is a different matter to describe them as world class where research in the frontier areas of subjects take place.
—AB Karthik Monnappa, Bharatidasan Institute of Management, Trichy
If the IITs and IIMs are not good enough then why should the best of students seek admission to these institutions often going through the rigors of intensely competitive examinations? And how is it that, when they are in search of jobs, they are recognised as abundantly talented and particularly qualified to deliver the goods? Globally, all these institutions carry a distinctive brand that makes a difference in the way graduates from these institutions are perceived. So the inference to be drawn here is that there cannot be a best institution without a good faculty and in turn there cannot be good students without a good faculty because it is the faculties that eventually nurture the students and make them earn a name and also for the institution.
—Arvind Umashankar, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), Nagpur
IIMs and IITs are good because of their students. They induct some of the best students through one of the toughest entrance exams and have kept many hurdles to get admissions at their campuses. Each and every institute have a good faculty members but if students are not supportive or intelligent then nothing is worth.
—Manali Patel, VM Patel Institute of Management, Kherva
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THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Do you think IITs need autonomy?