Don't dilute the IIT brand
by Ganesh Prasad on Aug 20, 2005 08:13 PM
Unless the new "IITs" undertake to admit students *exclusively* on the basis of their JEE performance, they will not be true IITs, and the IIT brand will suffer on account of the resulting dilution of quality.
Make no mistake about it, it is not the quality of faculty or the facilities or the level of funding that makes the IITs what they are. It is the rigid insistence on candidates' performance in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) that separates the wheat from the chaff right at the beginning. Such students will do well no matter which college they attend. Dilute this admission criterion by substititing other exams for the JEE, and prepare to watch the IIT reputation gradually crumble.
Yes, we would all like to see more Indian students graduate each year proudly wearing the IIT label, but there is a right way and a wrong way to go about it. The JEE is key. I hope the powers that be do not fall prey to political expediency by ignoring its crucial role!
