IIT FEE HIKE DEFERRED, PANEL SET UP TO REVAMP EXAMS

IRANI IS FOCUSED ON REVAMPING THE IIT EXAMINATION SO THE BURDEN OF COACHING ON STUDENTS AND PARENTS IS REDUCED

NEW DELHI:

The IIT council on Tuesday decided to defer the hike in tuition fee at the premier technical institutes, and formed a committee that will look into ways to revamp the two stage IIT JEE examination system so that the burden of coaching centres on students is reduced.

The proposed fee hike from existing `90,000 per year to `2.5 lakh, sources said will be discussed later with HRD minister Smriti Irani asking for more details on the subject. “The fee hike issue did not get much attention at the council meeting as the minister wanted more deliberation on the subject,” an IIT director told HT.

The meeting of the IIT council, the highest decision making body for the IITs, was held in Mumbai to discuss the proposed fee hike, increasing the number of students who take IIT Advance examination among others. The IITs have been in favour of a steep hike in the tuition fee so that the running cost of the institutes is taken care of by student’s fee and government funding is used for creation of infrastructure including labs, equipments and library.

A statement from the HRD ministry said the “Council proposed a funding mechanism for IITs that would appreciably enhance government investments for building world class infrastructure,” hinting at a discussion on the subject at a later stage. The minister, sources said, was focused on revamping the IIT examination system so the burden of coaching on students and parents is reduced.

“An expert committee headed by IIT-Roorkee chairperson Ashok Mishra has been formed to recommend ways to make IIT JEE coaching free,” another official who was part of the council meeting said.