The University Grants Commission (UGC) was off the track when it recently asked the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to align their courses and degrees with those of institutions within its ambit. The Committee led by Anil Kakodkar which was formed in 2010 to suggest improvements in IITs however feels that being centres of excellence, they are not within the UGC’s ambit. It is an egregious error to put all these centres of higher education within the same category. The new government is focused on jobs and skills and wishes that higher education should be geared to this objective. It wants evaluation processes to be uniform so as to turn out reliable workers who can push up the job market and foster economic growth. But technical education in its higher reaches thrives on research and innovation powered by creativity. The standards prescribed by the UGC should not apply to them. The Kakodkar Committee recommended that the centres of excellence should be freed from the control of the educational bureaucracy. The Board of Governors of every IIT should enjoy complete autonomy.
The NDA budget 2014 announced the commissioning of five new IITs. Future budgets are expected to spawn more centres of excellence. The question is whether the increase in number will diminish the quality of education and research. The Kakodkar Committee recommended initiation of an extensive PhD programme. Private enterprise should be roped in to create innovative ecosystems. The Committee’s vision differs from that of the UGC which was born of an act of Parliament. IITs were also similarly set up. But parallels cannot be forced to meet.