Odisha HRD

Reaction to “No IIT for Orissa because of NISER” comment by an MHRD official

January 31st, 2008

A news report in Samaja (30th January 2008, Page 7) mentions that Special Secretary in the higher education department Mr. Acharya said that, "Orissa and many other states have vigorously demanded IITs; But since a IIT quality higher education institution – NISER – has been established in Orissa, it is not possible to establish an IIT in that state."  He continues on to say that, " NISER and IIT have the same admission process that happens at the same time. Since NISER will fulfill the need for an IIT one should not put much weight on the demand for an IIT."

The above logic is absolutely ridiculous and filled with falsehoods and contradicts with MHRD actions with respect to other states.

1. NISER and IITs have different admission process and they have no connection with each other. NISER uses the NEST test  (http://www.iopb.res.in/niser/admission.php ) conducted by DAE while IITs have their own JEE. The secretary may be confusing NISER with IISER which do take some students from the IIT JEE merit list.

2. NISER will not fulfill the need for an IIT. Currently, NISER only offers M.Sc degrees in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Some day in the future it may offer a few technology degrees. However, it will not be soon, as having full-fledged engineering degrees will defeat the purpose of NISER, as
students when given a choice between Science and Engineering disciplines in the same institute will prefer engineering, and as a result the NISER science departments, the reason de etre for the establishment of NISER, will not get good students. In this regard it may be noted that Science is second class in the
IITs where students prefer engineering over Science courses. Most students who get into sciences into IITs are the ones who can not get into any engineering disciplines.

Note that IISc, where both engineering and science are flourishing is different because it does not offer undergraduate degrees in science so there is no competition between student choosing between science and engineering after +2.

3. Even if NISER abandons its reason-de-etre and decides to expand into engineering aggressively, the infrastructure, especially the 300 acres allocated to NISER will not allow that. Note that the IITs in Patna and Hyderabad will have 500 acres land.

4. The engineering and technology disciplines will not be established in NISER that quickly, and because of the break-neck industrial progress happening in Orissa, it needs a top notch engineering and technological institute like an IIT "yesterday."

5. Finally the following actions contradict the assertion that Orissa will not get an IIT because it has a NISER

   (a) Maharastra was given a IISER even though it has an IIT. (Both are funded by MHRD.)

   (b) West Bengal was given an IISER and an IIT like institute (IIEST) eventhough it has an IIT. (All are funded by    MHRD and the IISER and the IIEST will be in the Kolkata area.)

   (c) Andhra Pradesh was given an IIT and two IIESTs. (All are funded by MHRD.)

   (d) Kerala was given an IISER, an IIEST and an IIST (Indian Institute of Space Technology); the first two funded by    MHRD, while the last one is funded by Ministry of Science and Technology.

So why is that when it comes to Orissa, when Orissa is now at the bottom of per-capita MHRD funding on higher education institutions, NISER counts against Orissa. This is despite that Orissa needs to bridge the largest gap in higher education enrollment, from 6.1% to the targeted 15%.

Is it because the above four have UPA allied governments while Orissa does not?

Also, earlier it has been remarked in the Parliament by an UPA minister that Orissa has this and that institute (such as Inst of Physics etc.). Yes, but other states have more of such institutes. See the list we compiled at http://iit.orissalinks.com/vol1/state_wise_national_lab.pdf.

So why does it count against Orissa getting an IIT, and does not count against the other states.

Is not this blatant discrimination against Orissa?

Is not such discrimination in the past a main reason why Orissa is now at the bottom of higher education enrollment and many other parameters?

Is that what the government of India wants? And in this information age of news media and Internet will the people of Orissa stand-by and just meekly accept this blatant discrimination?

Entry Filed under: Appeal to readers,Eleventh plan,IIT, oDishA,MHRD bias against Odisha (past?)