NIT Council Meeting

NIT Council Meeting Held: Shri Kapil Sibal Suggests Review of NIT System

The 2nd NIT Council meeting was held here today under the Chairmanship of Shri Kapil Sibal, Union Minister of Human Resource Development. The meeting was attended by distinguished members of Parliament, Chairperson & Directors of National Institute of Technology (NIT) and other Council members. Several important decisions having long-term implications on improving the quality of technical education were taken.

Since the NIT system is going to complete a decade of its existence, the Minister suggested to conduct a review of the system under the Chairmanship of Dr. Anil K.Kakodkar on the lines of the report already submitted by him on IITs.

Reports of various committees constituted by the Council earlier were approved for implementation. The Council also reviewed admission policy for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. In particular, foreign student admission through DASA and centralized M.Tech admission were considered. The Minister expressed government’s desire to have one single national level examination test for admission to all Engineering institutions on which Ramasamy Committee would be submitting its report by September 2011.

A Committee was constituted for implementing centralized PG admissions on the pattern of UG admissions. Another Committee to provide merit scholarship to deserving UG students was constituted. Scheme for promoting foreign students admission through AIEEE on-line examination to be held at international level was also approved in principle.

Shri Sibal re-affirmed the support of the ministry to the NIT system in general and to Ten new NITs in particular for the development of infrastructure and recruitment of faculty and staff. He was appreciative of the progress made in this regard by NITs and remarked that these institutions have to be the torch bearers of progress and development in the technical and professional education in the country alongside the IITs.

He stressed on the need of networking amongst IITs, NITs and other institutions. In order to promote better coordination the Directors and Chairpersons of IITs and NITs must meet once a year to discuss larger issues connected with technical education and research.

The Secretary HRD laid emphasis on promotion of research and recruitment of quality faculty in NIT system. The Minister also desired that the NIT Council should meet more frequently. Accordingly the next Council meeting was fixed for November 15, 2011.