By Soroor Ahmed, TwoCircles.net,
Coaching culture certainly has its impact on the Indian Institute of Technology. But, perhaps it is not the way Narayana Murthy wants the countrymen and women to believe. Instead of Plus-2 engineering aspirants, it is the IIT graduates, who should be held responsible for what Infosys’ Chief Mentor––rightly or wrongly–– feels decline in India’s Intellectual Treasure.
Whether the quality of students has really deteriorated or not is a hotly debated topic and only an objective analysis will help know the truth, the fact is that the lure of fast buck has driven hundreds, or even thousands, of IIT graduates to open their own coaching institutes or teach in prestigious ones spread all over India.
IIT Kharaghpur
IIT aspirants have been taking coaching classes even in 1970s or earlier. Some used to opt for special subject-wise tuition. True, the number of coaching institutes then was fewer but so were the candidates appearing for IIT and other engineering exams. But IITians engaged in teaching in private coaching institutes in such a big way is a relatively recent phenomenon.
As now most of the prestigious coaching institutes have IIT pass-outs as faculty members young engineering aspirants make a beeline to them. They prefer IIT grads over other teachers for guidance. This was unheard of three or four decades back.
Herein the crux of the debate should lie. Whether the increase in money-mindedness of the IIT graduates has affected the overall quality of India’s most prestigious engineering college or not? May be this phenomenon is preventing a large number of IIT graduates from pursuing M Tech and research and later in their career become good professor or scientist in their own alma mater. After all the IITs––even the older ones––are facing acute shortage of quality teachers and rampant commercialization of education as such, and engineering profession in particular, can be held responsible for it.
But there are certain myths regarding IIT, which need to be exploded. For example, it would not be fair to give credit to the IITians for laying the foundation stone of post-independence development of the country. The contributions of non-IIT engineering graduates, and even diploma degree holders, in the growth of infrastructure and other sectors in earlier decades can not be ruled out. Be it the construction of Bombay High oil platform, huge dams, bridges, highways, airports, laying of railway tracks––both overground and underground––to name a few, one can not deny the role of non-IIT engineers. Even the ‘Missile Man of India’, A P J Abdul Kalam, did not study in any IIT––or one can say had no scope to study there as the first such institute came up in Kharagpur in 1951. True of late IITians have started contributing more to the country, especially in software industry, than in the past.
As today, so in the past, a sizeable number of them used to fly out of India to work in the United States or other western countries as they would get better pay and good opportunity for higher research. This phenomenon gradually resulted in shortage of faculty in India. Since a large number of IIT graduates would go out of the country, B Tech from other colleges would GATE-crash into M Tech and later PhD in IITs. So if IITs were earlier reputed for producing quality B Tech today they have been producing a huge number of M Tech too. Many of these researchers––who did their B Tech elsewhere––would then end up becoming teacher in the IIT. With M Tech made minimum qualification for teachers in all the engineering colleges the demand for this degree has gone up.
After the liberalization of economy and advent of Information Technology revolution the mindset of Indian youths underwent a big change. Unlike in the past now engineers get much heavy salary in India itself. Earlier IITians used to have academic value, now their market-value or brand-value has increased too. In many cases it is the parents, who apply pressure on their children, to opt for IIT as career. They start seeing Lakshmi in Saraswati.
Coaching centers in Patna
As this phenomenon was growing a physically handicapped IIT pass-out opened a coaching institute in Kota. It was an instant hit. Soon many others cropped up all over the country. Coaching became a big industry not only in Kota but elsewhere too. With dreams of their sons––and now even daughters––earning big money within four years of high school parents rushed towards them and thus in process ignored other professions. Medical Science, which takes almost double the time, took a serious beating as many thought it is a waste of time to pursue it.
The demand of IIT graduates as teachers in private coaching institute shot up. They started earning more than the fellow IITians sweating out eight to 10 hours in the MNCs.
The raising of the age to 30 years for appearing in the Civil Service exams also has its impact on IIT. Since a youth completes his IIT graduate by the time he is 22 or 23 he gets ample time to make preparation for Civil Service. Instead of toiling hard day in and day out in any reputed private firm they deem it better to join some coaching classes to earn a few fast buck and side by side prepare for the Civil Service or other such exams.
As mentioned the Information Technology revolution also contributed in changing the profile of engineering graduates in general and IITians in particular. Many IITians, even before passing out from their institutes, have their plans cut out to earn quick bucks. With small amount of money they can set up their own software firms. Some of them are even busy in preparing teaching material and other related works and earning better than their friends elsewhere.
All these developments had their impact on IITs as such. So rather than finding defects in the Plus-2 engineering aspirants it would be better to understand the whole societal change through which India is passing.
Perhaps these changes are inevitable. But whether it is good or bad should not be left just up to the likes of Narayana Murthys and Chetan Bhagats to debate. After all wars are too serious a matter to be left to Generals alone. In the same way the debate on the educational standard of the IIT is too crucial for the country’s future to be left to a couple of its alumni.