Education, Careers & Professional News
Teething troubles persist at IIT-Hyd
A week after its formal launch, IIT-Hyderabad is still grappling with basic issues. The new institute has no permanent faculty, no research laboratory and insufficient accommodation.
Though classes started on August 20, the process to recruit permanent faculty has not started yet. Moreover, filling up of the first batch of faculty positions will be completed in the next three months.
Faculty from IIT-Madras are teaching the 116 students who have joined the new institute. “The faculty travel back and forth, teaching at both IITs so that there will be no faculty shortage at the mentor institute.
Though this is inconvenient there is no other way as the recruitment could not be done before the academic year,” a source said. Some faculty members said that due to the Union government’s insistence that the six new IITs should start from 2008, many things including recruitment of faculty and setting up of permanent campus could not be done.
The notification for vacant faculty posts is likely to be issued in a week’s time. The first group is likely to take charge by October end.
Even lodging facilities on the campus are not sufficient; many faculty are staying in private accommodation near the campus. Besides, the student hostels for the second year students are yet to be identified and the maintenance work has to start before December 2008. The campus is not ready for academic activities also with research laboratories to be set up soon. For a research laboratory or industrial infrastructure complex, IIT-Hyderabad authorities have requested the state government to allot another building as there is no suitable building in the Ordnance Factory.
When contacted, coordinator for IIT-Hyderabad and co-chair of IITMadras , C V R Murthy, said work is going on as per the schedule. “Every IIT has begun on a temporary campus with shortcomings. Many things are in process with applications being forwarded to the central government and defence ministry. It is only a matter of time before the IIT becomes a fullfledged institute,” Murthy said.
More : timesofindia.indiatimes.com