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  JNU, HCU row due to political affiliations: Dr Ramgopal Rao

JNU, HCU row due to political affiliations: Dr Ramgopal Rao

AGE CORRESPONDENT
Published : Apr 18, 2016, 2:13 am IST
Updated : Apr 18, 2016, 2:13 am IST

The new director of IIT-Delhi, Dr V.

Dr V. Ramgopal Rao
 Dr V. Ramgopal Rao

The new director of IIT-Delhi, Dr V. Ramgopal Rao, who assumed charge on April 13, said on Sunday that the problems in Jawaharlal Nehru University, Hyderabad Central University and NIT Srinagar could be mainly attributed to students’ bodies being affiliated to political parties.

“Such problem does not exist in IITs because there is no political division among the students. They are preoccupied with academics and don’t get time to deviate from studies,” said Dr Ramgopal Rao, whose predecessor as the IIT-Delhi director was Dr R.K. Shevgaonkar, who quit the post in December 2014.

Dr Ramgopal Rao explained that the Ambedkar Periyar Student Circle row in IIT-Madras was one-off incident and should not be generalised for all the 18 IITs in the country. Except for NIT Srinagar, there are no controversies at NITs, stressed Dr Ramgopal Rao.

When asked about his main focus in the new post, he said that would adopt multidisciplinary approach in work, take steps to establish an incubator to help students realise their entrepreneur dreams and strive for fund raising by involving industries and alumni. “Startup culture needs to be encouraged. Talented students coming out of IITs should become job providers and not job-seekers. Establishing incubators will give a big fillip to them.”

IITs are doing whatever they should to find a regular place in global rankings, said Dr Ramgopal Rao. Global ranking agencies take into consideration foreign faculty and students in that particular institution as well as citations received, he stressed. “This is where IITs are losing points. Otherwise, the education and curriculum, especially in undergraduate courses like engineering, is regarded as one of the best in the world,” he told this newspaper.

However, with the Union HRD ministry focussing on this issue, IITs could make inroads in global rankings sector in the near future. Dr Ramgopal Rao said that the IITs have been given go-ahead to recruit foreign professors from reputed varsities in the US and other Western countries.

“There is a good chance of hiring foreign staff in Delhi and Bombay institutes this year. For this, we are planning to hold publicity campaigns and interactions as well as take the help of IIT alumni working in universities abroad,” he stressed. Dr Ramgopal Rao, who is from Kollapur in Mahbubnagar district of Telangana.

Commenting on IITs being unable to become self-sufficient, he stated that there are a number of reasons. “Unlike foreign varsities, we do not get donations from outside. For example, take the case of Harvard, which is running just by the interest received on donations. In the US, people like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet donate a big chunk of their wealth for the education sector,” he said.

Location: India, Delhi, New Delhi