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IITs have failed to deliver in research and development. In my very humble opinion, they have transformed in glorified employment exchanges main emphasis being

by mnazim 14y ago

IITs have failed to deliver in research and development. In my very humble opinion, they have transformed in glorified employment exchanges main emphasis being on fetching a 7 figure paycheck after 4 years.

melling 14y ago
I still think the opportunity is there. I've seen several specials on the IITs, and they are a very well respected institution both in and out India. In addition, I think people generally realize that the educational system should offer more. I'll offer up Aamir Khan and friends as anecdotal evidence. :-) Great movie. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_Idiots http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_Idiots
- mayanksinghal 14y ago
  I actually hated that movie. While the message that 'One should pursue his/her own dream' was neat, the portrayal was bad. It showed that Engineering education in India sucks largely because of orthodox bad teachers who lack vision. It portrayed it is alright to play bad hurtful pranks (though a joke, but unfortunately immaturity is still prevails in college students). The professors were shown in such bad light and without any emotions that even suicides don't make them change their facial expressions. They really took it to the extreme, it was sad because it might have demotivated some people.
  - denzil_correa 14y ago
    > It showed that Engineering education in India sucks largely because of orthodox bad teachers who lack vision. And pray, you being from IIT what makes you qualified enough to show this statement is wrong? I'm not saying the portrayal of the movie was correct but to make a sweeping generalizable statement above ; one needs to be part of a setup other than IITs.
    - mayanksinghal 14y ago
      I didn't make that generalization - I was commenting on the sweeping generalization that was made in the movie. I know some very great teachers who do not teach at IITs. My parents are college professors and at least 4 aunts/uncles of mine are also in teaching profession. While I agree that a lot of educational institutes in India suffer from under-qualified or uninspired teaching - I do not believe that it is the core reason of all that is wrong with the education system. My being an IITian actually contributes less to this belief of mine than my school teachers in a small town. It did get reinforced here but I have always had some great teachers.
      - movingahead 14y ago
        This is based on my personal experience and those of a few friends at non-IIT colleges. I know some great teachers too. But, the majority of the teachers are just wasting their time as well as those of their students. There is no love for the subject they teach. "While I agree that a lot of educational institutes in India suffer from under-qualified or uninspired teaching - I do not believe that it is the core reason of all that is wrong with the education system." Finding a core reason for the maladies of Indian educational system is a never-ending exercise. But, a lot of problems will be solved if we have more inspired teachers.
  - vrishabh 14y ago
    Definitely the portrayal may have been too aggressive, but that is the reality of the Indian Education system. Students here are driven by a lot of social pressures to get into an IIT just with a mindset that this wil l help them get high paying job helping them to lead a cushy life.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
mayanksinghal 14y ago
[A current Dual Degree Student (5 year UG+PG program) here, will be graduating in June] To be fair you are talking about Undergraduate students here, the very best of these go for post graduation in US universities. I know this, because I couldn't get it and a lot of my friends are currently there. And as far as I have been told undergraduate programs in US universities face a similar challenge when a significant chunk of bright students go for Financial and Consulting jobs (There was an article on HN that I am quoting; can dig it up if you want). As much as I would have want to do research with full rigor and motivation, I find myself not as bright as those who I have seen being very successful. I still try to do as much as I can, hoping that my efforts will be enough. And I know that there are many many others who don't have a zeal for their research projects at all and I can give their point of view as well. IITs are the best place to for Undergraduate programs, they are very popular among parents and high-school students alike. If a student is not 100% sure about what he/she wants to do in life or if the parents are not open enough to let him try extreme things (in the Indian sense of occupation) like acting, fine arts etc, you give JEE and you go to IITs if you can. A lot of students find engineering to be just what they were looking for, a lot of others don't and do something else. As of research work, keeping aside the fact that IITs do lack the infinite resources that US universities have, we lack industrial connections and a research oriented culture for undergraduates. Not sure if US universities face the same kind of issues with their UG students or not, but I think it is unfair to expect a lot from UG students. Now coming to PG curriculum and research there: I like my research project. I feel proud whenever the simulation ends and when my modeling results match my simulation results, and sad when they don't. Proper PG students (ie not DD students like me) in IITs work harder, much harder, than UG students. The lack of research output may be because the brightest of UG students get into US universities where there are better research groups and opportunities. Or may be because other engineering colleges from where the PG students have completed their Undergraduate programs didn't offer as much as IITs (or US universities do). It is unfair to compare IITs with other institutes, there are a lot of factors at play. Sure, we want high paying jobs - but if they are available who won't? Think about the socio-economic pressure on the students as well. For a middle income family most salaries that are offered to IIT graduates will bring about a significant change in lives of these students as well as their families. It might be a different case in US (and other countries) but a lot of us face these issues. I was lucky that I don't, but I know many students with parents who will feel happier if their child settles down with a high paying job and not pursue higher education for another 2 - 5 years. If you really feel so strongly about the issue, I really suggest you give back to an IIT (or your own alma-mater) in some way - donations (you can decide where exactly is your money spent), visits to share experiences and even research projects. I just did 2 Research and development projects in last two semesters - one was in collaboration with an external company. They were great fun!

by mnazim 14y ago

melling 14y ago

I still think the opportunity is there. I've seen several specials on the IITs, and they are a very well respected institution both in and out India. In addition, I think people generally realize that the educational system should offer more. I'll offer up Aamir Khan and friends as anecdotal evidence. :-) Great movie. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_Idiots http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_Idiots

mayanksinghal 14y ago
I actually hated that movie. While the message that 'One should pursue his/her own dream' was neat, the portrayal was bad. It showed that Engineering education in India sucks largely because of orthodox bad teachers who lack vision. It portrayed it is alright to play bad hurtful pranks (though a joke, but unfortunately immaturity is still prevails in college students). The professors were shown in such bad light and without any emotions that even suicides don't make them change their facial expressions. They really took it to the extreme, it was sad because it might have demotivated some people.
- denzil_correa 14y ago
  > It showed that Engineering education in India sucks largely because of orthodox bad teachers who lack vision. And pray, you being from IIT what makes you qualified enough to show this statement is wrong? I'm not saying the portrayal of the movie was correct but to make a sweeping generalizable statement above ; one needs to be part of a setup other than IITs.
  - mayanksinghal 14y ago
    I didn't make that generalization - I was commenting on the sweeping generalization that was made in the movie. I know some very great teachers who do not teach at IITs. My parents are college professors and at least 4 aunts/uncles of mine are also in teaching profession. While I agree that a lot of educational institutes in India suffer from under-qualified or uninspired teaching - I do not believe that it is the core reason of all that is wrong with the education system. My being an IITian actually contributes less to this belief of mine than my school teachers in a small town. It did get reinforced here but I have always had some great teachers.
    - movingahead 14y ago
      This is based on my personal experience and those of a few friends at non-IIT colleges. I know some great teachers too. But, the majority of the teachers are just wasting their time as well as those of their students. There is no love for the subject they teach. "While I agree that a lot of educational institutes in India suffer from under-qualified or uninspired teaching - I do not believe that it is the core reason of all that is wrong with the education system." Finding a core reason for the maladies of Indian educational system is a never-ending exercise. But, a lot of problems will be solved if we have more inspired teachers.
- vrishabh 14y ago
  Definitely the portrayal may have been too aggressive, but that is the reality of the Indian Education system. Students here are driven by a lot of social pressures to get into an IIT just with a mindset that this wil l help them get high paying job helping them to lead a cushy life.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]

mayanksinghal 14y ago

[A current Dual Degree Student (5 year UG+PG program) here, will be graduating in June] To be fair you are talking about Undergraduate students here, the very best of these go for post graduation in US universities. I know this, because I couldn't get it and a lot of my friends are currently there. And as far as I have been told undergraduate programs in US universities face a similar challenge when a significant chunk of bright students go for Financial and Consulting jobs (There was an article on HN that I am quoting; can dig it up if you want). As much as I would have want to do research with full rigor and motivation, I find myself not as bright as those who I have seen being very successful. I still try to do as much as I can, hoping that my efforts will be enough. And I know that there are many many others who don't have a zeal for their research projects at all and I can give their point of view as well. IITs are the best place to for Undergraduate programs, they are very popular among parents and high-school students alike. If a student is not 100% sure about what he/she wants to do in life or if the parents are not open enough to let him try extreme things (in the Indian sense of occupation) like acting, fine arts etc, you give JEE and you go to IITs if you can. A lot of students find engineering to be just what they were looking for, a lot of others don't and do something else. As of research work, keeping aside the fact that IITs do lack the infinite resources that US universities have, we lack industrial connections and a research oriented culture for undergraduates. Not sure if US universities face the same kind of issues with their UG students or not, but I think it is unfair to expect a lot from UG students. Now coming to PG curriculum and research there: I like my research project. I feel proud whenever the simulation ends and when my modeling results match my simulation results, and sad when they don't. Proper PG students (ie not DD students like me) in IITs work harder, much harder, than UG students. The lack of research output may be because the brightest of UG students get into US universities where there are better research groups and opportunities. Or may be because other engineering colleges from where the PG students have completed their Undergraduate programs didn't offer as much as IITs (or US universities do). It is unfair to compare IITs with other institutes, there are a lot of factors at play. Sure, we want high paying jobs - but if they are available who won't? Think about the socio-economic pressure on the students as well. For a middle income family most salaries that are offered to IIT graduates will bring about a significant change in lives of these students as well as their families. It might be a different case in US (and other countries) but a lot of us face these issues. I was lucky that I don't, but I know many students with parents who will feel happier if their child settles down with a high paying job and not pursue higher education for another 2 - 5 years. If you really feel so strongly about the issue, I really suggest you give back to an IIT (or your own alma-mater) in some way - donations (you can decide where exactly is your money spent), visits to share experiences and even research projects. I just did 2 Research and development projects in last two semesters - one was in collaboration with an external company. They were great fun!