The Hindu Business Line : Govt plan to set up IIITs

Opening citadels of excellence will not solve the problem unless the quality of education in government-run higher-secondary schools is improved, serving as a feeder to these premier institutions.

The main hurdles facing these schools are poor infrastructure and a dearth of good teachers. There is also no mechanism for building self-confidence among the socially disadvantaged students. It is suggested that an egalitarian social order be created, guaranteeing equal opportunities and a level-playing field for all.

T. S. Sundareswaran, e-mail

The Government's plan to set up 30 Indian Institutes of Information Technology at a huge outlay of Rs 3,000 crore is a step in the right direction, as it will go a long way in bridging the gap between supply and demand of IT personnel. While our engineering colleges churn out tens of thousands of IT graduates annually, the IT companies still face a serious manpower crunch, as the candidates are not equipped enough to meet the industry's expectations.

Hence, rigid standards must be followed in the selection of students and faculty members so that best academic standards are maintained. Care must be taken that the proposed IIITs maintain their own pre-set goals so that they do not merely become another set of engineering colleges in the long run.

The governments of China and Japan have seized the opportunity and have begun to impart training to acquire proficiency over the English language to their students within the shortest possible time. If we slip up with regard to imparting world-class training to our students in the IT field, we may lose our position as one of the leading players in the field.

S. Nallasivan, Tirunelveli

The move by the Government is a welcome one and should augment the quality of personnel in the IT industry. If the overall quality of manpower in the industry is to improve, the Government should give preference to only merit, irrespective of the student's caste, creed and community.

S. Krithivasan, e-mail

The Government's move to open 30 new IIITs is indeed welcome. However, opening new institutes per se will not solve the problem. The current IT boom has largely favoured the urban youth and has not touched the educated rural youth. Therefore, some of these IIITs should be set up in backward areas so that they can play a greater role in local community building.

The teaching emphasis in these institutes should not only be on technical subjects but also on soft skills. The Government could also look at opening new industrial institutes for producing skilled manpower required for manufacturing, a sector which is facing as acute a manpower crunch as does IT.

P. H. Karthik, IIT, Mumbai

The Government's plan would involve an expenditure of Rs 3,000 crore. Why can't the Government, managements of engineering colleges and the industry work together to raise the standard and quality of students passing the existing college rather than set up IIITs?

The industry says that it cannot find the right kind of workers, even as 80 per cent of the IT graduates are without jobs. Why can't we make them all suitable for employment in the IT/ITES sector and solve the problem of manpower crunch? Similarly, there is a need to raise the standard of the nearly 1,000 management institutes to meet the manpower requirements of, among others, the manufacturing, pharma and finance sectors.

A. Jacob Sahayam, Thiruvananthapuram

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