Raising serious questions on the quality of Indian Institutes of Technology, Union Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi said on Friday that the large-scale spending on the premier technology schools of the country was not paying back ample dividends.
"If we speak of quality of education, I will tell you that the seven IITs get about Rs 70-80 crore (Rs 700-800 million) each annually, totalling to over Rs 750 crore (Rs 7.50 billion). On the other hand, the University of Roorkee spends Rs 16 crore (Rs 160 million) only. However, the latter surpasses the technology schools in terms of results," Joshi said during his convocation address at the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management in Kolkata.
Taking a dig at the whopping costs involved in running the IITs, the minister said only sprawling campuses and marvellous buildings do not make for quality educational institutes.
"Does paying or spending more money reflects the products of any institute? Absolutely not. In terms of the number of papers published, citations received and the number of students serving the country, Roorkee is more valuable than any of the IITs," he said.
Pointing out that there was 'something wrong' about the values imparted to students in schools and colleges, Joshi, a strong advocate of the Indian value system, said: "Youth crimes were increasing in schools across the country."
On the raging debate over slashing of fees in the Indian Institutes of Management, Joshi said: "I have never been able to understand how quality can be attached to fees. There might be necessities like gadgets and equipment to run a quality course, but how can quality of students be determined by the fees?"
Later the minister said the U R Rao Committee, looking into the matter, would submit its report very soon.
Asking the management schools to create their own definition of quality and not aping foreign schools, he said along with skills, which increase the monetary worth of a student, institutes must focus on value education to make wholesome human beings.
He also said institutes must be made accountable for researching on societal needs in indigenous conditions.
"If you conduct a research on how to increase America's GDP and it has a negative impact on your own country's GDP, is the research worthwhile?"
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