IITs To Assess Students on Credit-Base Performance

New Delhi: Students who wish to pursue graduation and post-graduation from the Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) after qualifying the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) will be accessed (in academics) on the basis of 'Credit-Base Performance' (CBP), from the next session commencing from July 2011.

Now, onwards, students will be awarded degrees based on CBP. Even, though the present grading system of Cumulative Preference Index (CPI) will continue to be one of the parameters to judge a student's performance, however, the main focus will be on his/her CPB.

As per sources, representing IIT-Kanpur, its director SG Dhande took part in the IITs' council meeting, which was held on January 21, 2011 in New Delhi. Furthermore, Dhande informed about the main points of acceptance that were discussed at the meeting and informed that the concept of evaluating a student's performance while studying in IIT would be done on the basis of Credit-Base Performance.

Moreover, speaking on the subject faculty crisis, Dhande accepted that not only IIT-Kanpur but other IITs were also facing faculty shortage. He said that efforts are being made to rope in good scientific brains as faculty. He also added that for this, they welcome NRIs settled across the globe and foreign faculty to take guest lectures. He said they would also like to mould students pursuing masters programme or PhD programme for teaching instead of moving out for jobs. This will help solve the problem to quite an extent.

Dhande informed that growing focus on research at both undergraduate and postgraduate level was also discussed in the meeting. Besides, the agenda for the meeting also included plans to introduce programmes in cyber security. It was also discussed how to provide greater financial autonomy to the IITs. As per sources, the panel formed by HRD ministry had recommended a new financial model to allow IITs to generate their own income and depend less on the government. In return, the IITs would gain greater autonomy.

Dhande delivered a presentation at the meeting on the proposal to uniformalise the criteria for promoting students from one semester to another across IITs - a demand frequently raised by students. Dhande in 2010 was appointed head of a panel by Sibal to prepare a strategy to end the system of different IITs employing varying performance criteria for promoting students. A panel under science and technology secretary T Ramaswami is working on examination reforms.