New Delhi, February 05: The ministry of human resource development (MHRD) is planning to introduce a flexible system that will allow students to change courses, and even institutes, midway.
HRD minister Kapil Sibal has set up an expert committee to explore the possibility of introducing a credit transfer system in the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). In the system, students will be able to change courses and institutes without losing precious years if they find the course they are pursuing too difficult to cope with. The marks obtained by students will be carried over to the new course or institute they opt for.
Students will be able to change course in the same IIT or shift to another IIT or any of the central universities.
MHRD has already told all central universities to work on the system as part of the education reforms policy of the government.
The move is based on suggestions by IIT directors during a meeting with Sibal.
The meeting was also attended by eminent scientists R Chidambaram and G Madhavan Nair of Indian Space Research Organisation.
“Some directors said the IIT regime is tough and some students find it difficult to cope with it.
Instead of pushing such students to the brink, the IITs should give them an exit route through the credit transfer system. The directors felt such a system may also help good students shift to courses and institutes of their choice after a period,” an MHRD official said.
Meanwhile, Sibal has asked the IITs to clearly indicate the areas or fields they would want to achieve the highest standards in by 2020. The minister wants the IITs to break into the top 50 of peer ranking by that year.
While the older IITs have to submit plans within a month, the new IITs have been given two months. The IITs have been also asked to submit a road map for compensation and incremental infrastructure development plans to attract the best faculty from India and abroad.
MHRD wants the IITs to have a common secretariat for marketing.
—Agencies