The IIT's do have a parallel-The Ecole d'Mines in France. The history, numbers, status and impact of both are equitable.
Speaking from experience of attending a course, interacting with IIT types both researchers and students and professor's-nay, bureaucrats; it may be time to fully capitalise on the IIT investment by 100% privatisation. Same with IIM's. Why?
IIT's are sitting on premium land. Considering they are totally residential instiutes, same as IIM's, where is the sense in said institutes retaining prime tax-payer funded real estate? Further, 21st century internet, distance and privatised lab enabled atmosphere enabled better dissemination of knowledge (lectures+labs) in a wide area spread with limitless enrollment. The funds for ramping up are locked up in the land w/o the original rationale.
This is unlikely because nobody wants to 'dilute' IIT/IIM eliticism. I have noticed IIT/IIM types to 'Shut the door behind them' to retain exclusivity, at the cost of the public exchequer. Imagine if similar amounts of public money's, goodwill and land were invested in Birla Institute of Technology or the Tata equivalent (not sure if it's Indian Institute of Science or TIFR).
RE:IIT is Old News!
by kk on Dec 13, 2006 07:42 AM Permalink
YES. For that matter any institute would be old news and history - probably remain as real estate pieces. How sooner or latter is the only question.People can only learn. They cannot be taught. Whatever is taught would be learnt if only the student wants (desire + ability + willingness).In the new economy with the content delivery capabilities over any communication device -It would lead to a better society in which people would have a better chance at learning what they want easily - not just pressured by the hype of joining a particular institute because it is the gateway to a particular career.The only question remains is to decide what one wants to do and look - the learning path and mechanism is already there. This would also solve the problem of reservations as there is NO basis for segmentation of an group's backwardness - individuals(not even family) can be backward or forward - that too for a generation(s)and there is no guarentee that the next generation would continue to be backward or forward if the present generation were forward or backward. In short, technology would disintermediate the institutions (hyped/non hyped ones)-how far is this situation-is only question.
