Kudos to IIT-G

Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, which is commonly referred to as IIT-G, hit the headlines on Saturday when it retained its coveted seventh position in the 'Engineering' category in the National Institutional Rankings Framework (NIRF) 2022. Moreover, IIT-G has also occupied the eighth rank in the 'Overall' category. This ranking is not done by any sponsorship-seeking magazine or NGO. Rather, it is an impartial and qualitative assessment made by the Ministry of Education at the Centre, with the Union Minister for Education making the formal announcement himself. IIT-G, it must be recalled, is an outcome of the Assam Accord of 1985, signed between the Government of India and the All Assam Students' Union (AASU), and the latter must be appreciated for having clinched an IIT for Assam and the Northeast. IIT-G is the sixth member of the IIT fraternity and was established in 1994 with its academic programme commencing in 1995. At present, the Institute has eleven departments and five interdisciplinary academic centres covering all the major engineering, science and humanities disciplines, offering B Tech, B Des, MA, M Des, M Tech, M Sc and PhD programmes. What is also important is that IIT-G has been able to help create an environment in Assam in particular and the region in general, in which young high school students began to look at quality education which opens the door for them to explore the world and beyond. Though there is no definite report or data about how many aspirants from the region have cracked the IIT entrance test since the establishment of IIT-G, it is common sense that there has been a drastic improvement in the mindset of both parents and students about quality technological education. The presence of IIT-G has been rapidly increasing, and it was only a few days ago that the Assam Chief Minister announced that IIT-G would be roped in to design long-lasting flood-protection measures in the state. Meanwhile, the present IIT-G Director has gone on record saying that the institution has been making efforts to promote interdisciplinary research by setting up several new schools and centres as part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. This, he said, would not only enhance interaction among top academicians and raise the standards of higher education, but also bring to the fore best practices and increase IIT-G's role in solving societal problems.