Interview with IIT-B Director

During his eight-year tenure as director of IIT-Bombay, professor Ashok Misra was known for enhancing research and innovation at the institute. Misra spoke to Mihika Basu before leaving for Bangalore to join Intellectual Ventures, a US-based private firm, on the challenges that lie ahead for India's IITs...

You are joining a private firm. Do you think the best minds today are being taken away by the private sector?
I had offers earlier, too, from the private sector and could have accepted them. However, I wanted to contribute to the IIT system, which I have done. I had a-year-and-a-half left in my tenure, so I decided to do something different. A few years down the line, I might not get such a great opportunity. The public sector is losing some of its best minds to the private sector due to better opportunities, pay and emoluments, but such an exodus is not happening at the IITs, primarily because of the opportunities that people get here in terms of research and interaction with the best, globally.
But would you agree that low remuneration is a reason why educational institutes, including the IITs, are facing a faculty crunch?
There's no doubt that remuneration is low in educational institutions including the IITs, but teachers compensate by engaging in other activities, like consultancy research and continuing education programmes. At the IITs, teachers are able to devote considerable time to research, which may not be possible at other engineering institutes. In the next three years, all IITs will see the student strength increasing by 150%, and this requires simultaneous faculty recruitment and infrastructure development. This is putting a lot of pressure on the system, hence expansion has to be planned.
What challenges do the IITs face?
There should have been a more controlled expansion. All the IITs are practically running the new ones and all of us started without a detailed project report, which we are preparing now. The IITs have a huge challenge in front of them to ensure that excellence isn't compromised. Also, they have to ensure that the eight new IITs have the same quality of faculty, but currently, the numbers are not there. IIT-Bombay is the only one mentoring two new IITs, so we shouldn't jump into the second one. I suggest that the establishment of the second IIT be postponed by a year, but do it in a planned way.
How long do you think the new IITs will take to become as good as the mentors?
If we get the funds and the people on time, it will take a minimum of 25 years. Even the old IITs are expanding, so in 25 years, the new ones will have to compete with those which have already completed 75 years.
Do you think IITs should be given more autonomy than they currently enjoy?
Yes, I strongly feel so. While we have academic autonomy in terms of selection of courses, curriculum and research, there are certain restrictions which shouldn't be there. Faculty reservations, for instance, is something that all IITs don't favour. The human resources ministry said it would re-think it, but the earlier order has not yet been withdrawn.
Your advice to IIT-Bombay?
IIT-Bombay should strive to be in the top 10 globally over the next 10 next years. For this, it will have to enhance research and innovation, alongside maintaining high quality education.
Would you like to be associated with IIT-Bombay in the future?
I would give back whenever I am asked to and in whatever capacity I can. IIT-Bombay has an active advisory council, which has played a crucial role in enhancing several programmes, including incubation. If the institute invites me to join the council, I would be happy to be a part of it.