NEW DELHI: A complete overhaul of the Ph.D programmes in the premier technological institutes was proposed by academic professionals to Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The Minister called for bringing the premier technological institutions such as Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and Indian Institutes of Engineering Science and Technology (IIESTs) under the accreditation framework.
Pradhan chaired two crucial meetings in Delhi on Tuesday – the third meeting of the standing committee of the IISERs and the 13th meeting of the Council of National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research (NITSER).
He reviewed the academic and research outputs of the seven IISERS and their future plans. “The Directors of IISERs informed the Standing Committee that they would undertake an exhaustive study of their PhD programmes to identify the associated lacunae and challenges, the global landscape and best practices, and suggest recommendations to overhaul the PhD programmes to align the courses with the requirements of the industries and the national priority missions,” said a release from the Education Ministry.
The IISERs would implement a flexible, learner-centric higher education system through a Flexible Learning Entry and eXit framework (iFLEX).
“This would involve the option of multiple entry and multiple exit, re-entry and completion, permitting the students to undertake a one-semester experiential internship focused on research, innovation, industry or entrepreneurship, in lieu of a regular classroom semester, with academic credits assigned upon completion and evaluation,” the release said.
Research Parks and Incubators would be established in each IISERs to co-locate academia, startups, industry R&D, and translational facilities for sustained innovation, it said.
One exclusive domain has been identified for each IISER and Centres of Excellence (CoE) would be set up in each IISER.
Each IISER will establish its own Section 8 company with a Chief Executive Officer appointed as the operational head. Its Board will comprise eminent academicians, corporate leaders, Technology Transfer Officer representatives, industrialists and innovation ecosystem stakeholders.
Meritorious students participating in International Olympiads will be provided a quota for admissions in IISEr. A sports quota too would be created for undergraduate admissions on the lines of IIT Madras and IIT Indore.
MoUs were signed between Biotech Consortium India Limited (BCIL) and IISERs, as well as between IIT Madras and IISERs and IISc, Bengaluru and IISERs, to strengthen collaborations.
NITSER 13th Council meet
During the 13th meeting of the Council of the NITSERs, Pradhan called for industry-centric PhD programmes and an industry-led committee to develop its curriculum based on emerging job roles. “The meeting discussed 360 degree PhD reforms which are industry funded. It also wanted Ph.D assignments to be given to faculty based on the performance of the faculty,” another release said.
Pradhan wanted the premier technological institutions to come under an accreditation framework, the Ministry added. ”The importance of accreditation as a key quality assurance mechanism- institutions resolving to actively participate in the national accreditation framework (NAAC) were agreed upon by all NITs and IISERs,” the release said.
Academic programmes on critical technologies like Industry 4.0, green hydrogen, manufacturing, artificial intelligence and data analytics need to be introduced. Specialised Post Graduate and M.Tech programmes aligned with industry requirements were also discussed. All NITs that do not have an incubation centre need to create one immediately, the release added.