In a meeting, HRD minister Kapil Sibal along with IIT directors on Wednesday resolved the salary imbroglio that saw IIT faculty go on strike. In a detailed presentation by the ministry, it was shown that IIT faculty after revision got more than UGC scale. The few unresolved issues, Sibal promised, would be immediately looked into.
Though a final decision has not been taken, there is a possibility that common counselling for AIEEE and JEE could be held for successful candidates of both entrance tests from 2010. However , a decision on merging IIT-JEE and AIEEE to become a common entrance test will be taken later.
The meeting, a sequel to Sibal’s earlier meeting with IIT directors on June 30, discussed progress of new IITs. It also saw the minister assuring the directors that a special cell would be set up in the ministry to facilitate entry of foreign faculty in IITs. The meeting also discussed the need to create, subject to ministry’s approval, an international pool of faculty for IITs. The matter will be discussed in a separate meeting of IIT directors. To deal with faculty shortage , IIT directors have been told to double PhD intake and prepare a list of students who were awarded PhD degrees this year. The list may be exchanged with directors of other IITs who can consider them for appointment as faculty.
The ministry told IIT directors about the Supreme Court order that asked IITs and other educational institutions to help SC/ST students at each stage. IIT Delhi has already been asked to reconsider its decision of expelling some students from this section on account of their poor academic performance . As for new IITs, the meeting was told that PhD courses were started in IITs at Hyderabad and Patna.
