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| Edited By: |Source: DNA |Updated: Aug 23, 2016, 08:58 AM IST
The high rate of dropouts at the various campuses of the Indian Institute of Technology is a cause for concern. During the recently concluded monsoon session, the government told Parliament that 1,256 students had dropped out of IITs in the 2014-15 academic year and 656 students dropped out in 2015-16. The government claimed that the reduced numbers were an indication that the dropout rate is falling thanks to various proactive measures like providing academic support and helping students cope with stress. But it is too early to go into a self-congratulatory mode. The fundamental issues that trigger dropping out have not been addressed and there is no evidence that these support measures have been institutionalised.
The Joint Entrance Examination, which qualifies students for the B.Tech course, has spawned coaching institutes that coach IIT aspirants in the nitty-gritty of the test. But when students who enter the institution through the JEE merit list cannot cope with the standards expected at IITs, perhaps the examination pattern must change. Further, the reservation criteria has complicated the selection process. Of the 2,029 Dalit students who were admitted to IITs, 1,597 students did not make it to the common merit list or scored less than the 35 per cent required to figure in the common merit list. Among Adivasis, 760 of 856 students who were admitted to IITs did not figure in the common merit list. Students whose first language is not English also struggle with communication and comprehension on campus. The irony is that the JEE is offered in the Hindi language but the language of pedagogy in the B.Tech course is almost exclusively in English.
Some of the initiatives begun in recent times like the Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) system that pairs senior students with struggling freshers, supplementary lectures in Hindi, and the recruitment of counsellors for dealing with stress-related issues are promising. However, the PAL system is still at a rudimentary stage and requires the enrollment of more seniors as mentors. More psychologists need to be appointed for a healthy counsellor-student ratio. There is also evidence that some IITs are banking on shortcuts to deal with the issue of student quality. Recently, IIT Roorkee, which was in the news for expelling 72 students last year and 18 this year for failing to meet academic standards, came up with a hare-brained solution. The institute lowered the cumulative grade point average required to pass the B.Tech course from 5.0 to 4.0. It must be remembered that the IITs were set up to contribute to excellence in scientific and technical education and research and meet the needs of industrial and social development of the country.
The annual intake at the five older IITs was around 4,000 students, a huge number in itself, but the government was not satisfied. It aimed to capitalise on the tremendous brand value these original IITs were able to create and give more students an opportunity to study at an IIT in the belief that a student enrolled at an IIT would gain in self-confidence and have access to better resources and opportunities and a more competitive environment.
However, the pitfalls of this approach, which has created 23 IITs and an annual intake of over 11,000, are now becoming evident. Quality has been sacrificed for quantity, and despite ensuring access to socially backward groups, students were left to fend for themselves in the hypercompetitive ethos of the IITs. While there is considerable emphasis on gauging learning outcomes at the school level, similar scientific studies are yet to be conducted at IITs to understand academic performance, stress-related issues, and the impact of corrective measures. There are worries among IIT alumni that the institution is losing its sheen among recruiters and foreign universities. The government must act before it is too late.
