Pilani : V Ramgopal Rao, Group Vice-Chancellor of BITS Pilani Campuses and former Director of IIT Delhi, has called for considering five-year BTech programmes at IITs. He added that he knows Doola personally and described him as one of the finest faculty members I have known in the IIT system, and a gentleman of the highest integrity. Whatever concerns have been raised should be examined fairly.
A public campaign against an individual serves no one, he said. According to Rao, students now come through an intensive coaching culture, while classrooms bring together students whose JEE Advanced ranks can range from single digits to five digits. The question to ask therefore is, with such heterogeneity, can we expect every student to learn at the same pace? Rao said. He stressed that there is nothing wrong with opening the doors of our best institutions to students from different backgrounds.
He said the question is whether the IIT system has addressed this heterogeneity in its teaching-learning methods. A faculty member cannot pitch every class at several levels at once. Move too slowly, and some students lose interest. Move too quickly, and others are left behind, Rao said. Coaching had prepared them to solve familiar types of questions quickly. Many are lost when they see a question which they haven’t solved before, he said.
This is not a difficulty confined to any admission category. The move from coaching to independent learning can be hard for anyone, he said. As a possible solution, Rao said IITs should consider moving their BTech programmes to five years. Under the proposed model, students who meet the credit requirements could complete their degree in four years, or perhaps three and a half years.
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