In recent months there have been lots of discussions, speeches and
warnings about the low quality of the technical graduates in
engineering. The reasons are well known and many. But the primary reason
is the lack of good quality faculty in engineering institutions. Many of
them have fresh B.Tech's as faculty and some have M.Tech's. Only the
elite schools have Ph.D’s as faculty and their intake is a trickle
compared to the needs of the country. Many of the god universities and
NITs have a good proportion of Faculty having Ph.D. The lack of both
M.Tech and PhD faculty in majority of engineering schools has been
highlighted by the U R Rao committee report.
In this article we will examine some immediate as well as long term
measures which can be implemented nation wide to prepare a workforce in
large numbers at the M.Tech and PhD level hoping that many will take up to teaching.
1. First we have to recognize that a large number of students about 1,
70, 000 take GATE exam and about 5% are taken nation wide in all
disciplines. The GATE exam is now a single paper of objective type which
is a step in the right direction. The threshold for admission however
appears to be high for the IITs. This leads to demoralization at an
early stage for aspiring grads to go for higher studies. The interview
portion is not needed and can be limited to marginal candidates only
thus saving money. Students who do not make to an elite Institution take
the GRE which is given several times a year (computer based) and get
admission to a US university.
2. IITs and NITs must admit
many more students at the M.Tech level and as for space except for PhD
students, others including UG’s can share a room as in China.
3. In big cities, let housing of students be out sourced under strict
supervision.
4. The QIP program should be accelerated in a big way. That was one of
the most successful initiatives of HRD in the 70’s.
5. Part- time registration in the PhD program should be encouraged after
a basic course work for a year for those having a M.Tech
6. About 1000 scholarships should be instituted every year for students
about to complete PhD to go abroad in a place where similar work is
being carried out .They
7. On- Line M.Tech program should be encouraged in some areas such as
CS, ECE etc. Many years ago when University of Illinois had a program in
India in CS it was a success.
8. Serious consideration should be given to having a one year Master’s
program whereby a good student can finish in a year (6 courses plus a
project) and some may take three semesters. The current practice of a
terminal M.Tech should be done away with. A seamless graduate program
with both M.Tech and Ph.D must be in place.
9. Finally an M.Tech by course work only may be considered (8 courses
and no project work) for Industry people. Experience indicates this may
not be popular but in India it may work out.
10. A temporary but worth considering is the concept of finishing
school. It is not viable in the long run as experience has shown in one
of the IITs.
These are all suggestions to consider and Institutions should be given
the autonomy to implement them.
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