IIT Madras will launch a BSc BEd program next year to produce quality maths teachers, director V Kamakoti has said. A day after retaining the top slot in NIRF rankings in overall category for the sixth year and in engineering category for the ninth year in a row, Kamakoti spoke to Ragu Raman about IIT-M’s success formula and plans. excerpts:
How does IIT-M retain the NIRF top rank?
Besides focusing on research and innovation, we started departments for medical sciences and technology, AI and data analytics; we introduced a sports quota and launched online degree programs.The inclusive nature of the campus also helps.
What are your goals for next year?
We are planning a BSc program in maths and computing with BEd from the next academic year. We offer a BSc degree in online mode and BEd in collaboration with Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). This is to develop quality maths teachers. We are aiming to produce at least 500 teachers a year. We will give more thrust to the idea of ​​our School of Interdisciplinary Studies which will have faculty members from different departments and offer MTech and PhD. Our ‘Startup 100’ will launch a new startup every three days this year. Expect a cultural quota for artists in IIT-M admission.
IIT-M has been ranked the top engineering institute in the country for nine years, yet why do top 100 JEE rankers prefer IIT Bombay?
We have taken various measures to attract the toppers, but it’s difficult to break that legacy. It may also be due to the geography, culture and cosmopolitan nature of Mumbai. Top rankers from northern states and Hyderabad may prefer Mumbai as it is closer to them. Chennai is still viewed as a conservative city. Among the top 500 rankers, IIT-B and IIT-M are attracting the same number of students.
Will IIT-M break into the top 100 world university rankings soon?
NIRF ranking parameters align with national priorities and count the strengths of our institutions. However, QS World University Rankings give more weightage to perception among foreigners. It is meaningless for Indian institutions as we have our own priorities. Still, we are trying to improve our ranking by performing better than the previous years.
IITs had a dull placement season last year. What’s IIT-M doing about it?
More than 90% of our students got placed last year. This year our placement team is reaching out to more companies, and we have had a good number of internships. Students with above 8 CGPA will have a better chance at campus placement.
What efforts are you taking to prevent suicide on the campus?
We are conducting a wellness survey for freshers. This will help us to identify vulnerable students and offer help. Volunteers and faculty members are reaching out to students who have stress. We have introduced extra vacation. Students can meet our ombudsman in case they have any grievance.