Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) will soon be switching over to a credit-based curriculum system, institute's director Partha Pratim Chakrabarti told journalists here on Saturday. He was speaking on the sidelines of the premier institute’s 60th convocation.
“Having a credit-based system will help make the courses more flexible and allow students to take a semester or a year off to do an internship, which would further enhance their learning,” chairperson, board of governors, IIT-KGP, Srikumar Banerjee, told journalists during an interactive session. Under the credit-based curriculum, students will have to achieve a specific number of credits to earn their degree and can control the pace at which they finish their course.
While the system is yet to be formalised, Prof. Chakrabarti said the new system is likely to be implemented from 2016. The new system would be started on all undergraduate courses and would gradually be implemented in post-graduate and doctoral programmes.
Addressing students at the convocation, Bharat Ratna awardee, chief guest at the convocation, and renowned scientist C.N.R. Rao appealed to students to serve the nation instead of looking for greener pastures. “India would benefit if IIT students preferred to stay and work in India,” he said.
“All my achievements and work, even while teaching abroad, were done for India. IIT students are very well suited to serve this nation as the courses are broad based. I hope all of you are successful in your endeavours as that will result in a successful India,” Mr. Rao said.
Mr. Rao, a former professor at IIT-KGP, said the institute was like a garden in which the students were the different kinds of flowers who needed to be nurtured with tender care by the professors.
As many as 2,364 students received their degrees on Saturday. Prof. Chakrabarti said, “The Institute has experienced acceleration in students' admission and has been undertaking infrastructure development to facilitate them. The Government of India has given IIT-KGP the responsibility of leading the initiative for a national digital library of India at an estimated cost of Rs. 100 crore. The Government of India has also approved Rs. 100 crore for a research park for IIT-KGP, which will be set up on the new Kolkata campus at Rajarhat. It will open new vistas for IIT-KGP.”
In an effort to increase its international outreach, the institute has started an international summer winter programme, which has seen several international faculty teaching at IIT-KGP.
