Weak IIT students to get another chance

Help is at hand for postgraduate (PG) students of IIT Bombay, whose performance does not meet the desired academic requirements. The institute has initiated a probation programme, which focuses on PG students (masters and PhD), especially the weak ones, to give them a second chance to survive and continue in their programmes.

“PG students are required to get a minimum cumulative grade point index of six per semester. So, if a student gets 5.7, he or she becomes ineligible,” said VSK Murthy Balijepalli, general secretary of academic affairs, postgraduate programs, IIT Bombay. “If such students apply under the probation programme, they won’t be asked to leave the institute and will get a final chance [to improve their grade]. The initiative has been introduced this year.”

It will be a one-time exercise for students who apply for probation for a period of one semester and will be decided by the Postgraduate Academic Performance Evaluation Committee (PGAPEC) of the institute, in consultation with faculty advisors. The committee monitors and reviews individual academic performances.

Students will have to submit a declaration that they want to be part of the probation programme so that their monthly stipend for teaching assistantship or research assistantship continues.

“However, during the probation semester, teaching assistantship duties will not be given to students under probation. Hence, while PG students have to pay a tuition fee of Rs5,000, those under probation will have to pay the non-concessional fee of Rs25,000,” said Balijepalli.