IIIT-B happened due to a sincere public private partnership. Government investing in permanent assets gives the much needed stability to the staff and credibility in the eyes of applicants. Being a Government Society ensures that the assets accumulated over time will NOT benefit any private interest and thereby retaining the “public good” spirit of an academic institution.
We in India need to work together to create world-class AND world-scale Universities. Places where large number of students (that can justify critical mass of researchers in multiple areas) can pursue areas of their interest with unfettered freedom.
The regulators must move to output control in place of input control. Let institutions adopt their own means, small campus, big campus, multiple campus, multiple departments etc. Let there be a “community of scholars” to oversee quality. Let the State fund the institutions based on their quantity and quality of output measured through simple measures that can be transparently evaluated.
Let the priority of investment be people; unfortunately the way regulators specify the minimum requirements for accreditation, institutions end up having first rate buildings and second rate equipment with practically no money for investing in people. Let the right priorities be kept.
Whatever success IIIT-B has achieved in the past 9 years is due to the simple principle outlined earlier.
(Acceptance speech given during the conferment of “Champion of humanity” Award by Hindustan Chamber of Commerce in Chennai on November 6, 2008)
Tags: Champion of humanity award, Chennai, HCC, Hindustan Chamber of Commerce, Institution building
