IIT Council chaired by Prakash Javadekar discusses fee waiver, student suicides - Financial Expess

IIT Council chaired by Prakash Javadekar discusses fee waiver, student suicides

While talking about the fee waiver issue on Friday, the IIT council in Mumbai chaired by Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar directed the institutes to continue with their existing fee structure for a year

By: FE Online | Published: April 29, 2017 1:07 PM

In the meeting, Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar expressed concern over the suicides committed by IITians. (PTI)

While talking about the fee waiver issue on Friday, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) council in Mumbai chaired by Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar directed the institutes to continue with their existing fee structure for a year. Other issues that were raised included the number of student suicides that took place in the IITs in the recent past. In the meeting, Javadekar expressed concern over the suicides committed by three IIT Kharagpur students earlier this year – despite dedicated systems in place, according to an Indian express report.

The report also stated that in reference to student suicides, he instructed the institutes to stretch orientation programmes for the first-year students to a long-duration from the current two-day orientation programme. The aim is to help the new students adjust to the pressure and adapt to cultural diversity. The council has also decided to transform counselling centres on the campus into wellness centres to focus on the well-being of the students in IITs.

Other points that were discussed included ways to increase the number of women students in these institutes. From currently limited to eight percent, the focus is to reach to more than 20 percent. For this, “supernumerary seats will be added to institutes,” said Javadekar as quoted by The Indian Express.

WATCH | Union Minister Prakash Javadekar releases ‘INDIA RANKINGS 2017’

Measures to be initiated to prevent suicides on campus: HRD minister - TNN

Measures to be initiated to prevent suicides on campus: HRD minister

Punkhuri Kapoor | TNN | Oct 6, 2016, 09.28 PM IST

VARANASI: Union HRD minister Prakash Javadekar said that induction courses would be initiated in every university campus along with counseling sessions, grievance redressal and student-teacher dialogue to prevent suicides in varsity campus. 

Referring to the Rohith Vemula's suicide while talking to reporters on Thursday, Javadekar said, "To ensure that suicides on campus is not repeated, the vice-chancellors of the central universities have been asked to introduce induction courses, ensure arrangements of counseling sessions and a grievance redressal cell besides student-teacher interaction." He also appreciated the six-week-long induction course run by IIT-BHU recently. 

On being asked about the probe report by judicial commission stating that Vemula's mother faked dalit status, Javadekar said, "I am yet to read the report submitted by former Allahabad high court judge A K Roopanwal which is to arrive at office on Friday. As of now, the process is being followed and things are being looked into." The contents of the report are Justice Roopanwal's findings with depositions from different people hence would only comment after reading it, he added. 

In reply to another question pertaining to forgery of marksheets/degrees, HRD minister said that national depository initiatives were being introduced on lines of dematerialization of shares as a part of which degrees of all central universities will be digitized. It has been implemented from this year, he added. 

When asked about majority of vacant seats in universities every year, Javadekar said that it was discussed in the review meeting with VC's of all central universities and they assured that the vacant seats will all be filled. He also cited how the newly opened central university in Motihari filled its seats within a short period of two months. The HRD minister, when questioned about former HRD minister's announcement to fly tricolour atop a 207-ft mast in all central universities, said that he would look into it and check its status. 

Divulging details of the review meeting chaired by him at BHU on Thursday, Javadekar said, "In the meeting, we stressed upon developing each and every central university as a centre of research, innovation and quality education. The VC's of a total of 36 Central universities gave their presentations and the kind of work they're doing. But, we intend to open gates for higher education and efforts are on to increase seats in IITs, IIMs and also ensure that no seats are left vacant in NITs."

Citing examples of universities like Nalanda, Taxila and Vakramshila, HRD minister said, "Our country was one-third of the world trade and that was because we had great universities like Nalanda. If global rankings existed at that time, these universities would have bagged top positions," he claimed, adding that the Britishers provided education to a limited class to serve their administrative purposes but did not want Indians to really learn. 

Javadekar, who also inaugurated the Shatabdi Krishi Bhawan and green building of BHU, appreciated the efforts of varsity towards sustainable development.

Minister of state for HRD, Mahendra Nath Pandey, said that to boost the level of primary education and improve its quality, a pilot project of imparting science skills will be given to primary schools in as many as 88 blocks of Varanasi and Vindhyachal commissionaries to raise the bar of primary education. "We wish to improve the quality of primary education so that the children are not merely lured by introduction of schemes like Midday meal and others. Hence, a pilot project will soon be introduced in both these commissionaries," informed Pandey.