V Ramgopal Rao, Group Vice-Chancellor of BITS Pilani Campuses and former Director of IIT Delhi, has suggested that IITs consider introducing five-year BTech programmes. He argued that the existing “one-size-fits-all” model does not adequately address the wide differences in students' academic backgrounds and learning abilities across the IIT system.
Rao, who was IIT Delhi Director from 2016 to 2021 and has more than 25 years of experience at IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi, expressed these views while commenting on the recent controversy involving IIT Bombay professor Suryanarayana Doola.
Rao said he was disturbed by the public criticism directed at Doola following the controversy at IIT Bombay. Saying that he knows the professor personally, Rao described him as one of the finest faculty members he had encountered in the IIT system and as a person of very high integrity.
He said the concerns surrounding the incident should be examined fairly and cautioned that publicly targeting an individual would not serve any useful purpose.
According to Rao, many of the problems emerging in the IIT system are linked to its uniform approach towards students despite significant differences among them.
‘CAN WE EXPECT EVERY STUDENT TO LEARN AT THE SAME PACE?’
Rao noted that many students entering IITs today have undergone intensive coaching, while classrooms can include students with JEE Advanced ranks ranging from single digits to five digits.
He cited the Computer Science and Engineering programme at IIT Delhi as an example, where students with vastly different entrance ranks can find themselves studying together. This, he said, has created highly diverse classrooms across the IIT system, with differences in language adding another layer of difficulty.
Rao questioned whether it was realistic to expect students with such varied backgrounds to learn at the same speed.
He said there was nothing wrong with admitting students from diverse backgrounds into the country's leading institutions. However, he questioned whether the IIT system had adequately adapted its teaching and learning methods to deal with this diversity.
According to Rao, it is difficult for a faculty member to teach a class effectively at multiple levels simultaneously. Teaching too slowly could cause some students to lose interest, while moving too quickly could leave others struggling to keep up.
Rao also recalled encountering students with outstanding JEE Advanced ranks who nevertheless faced difficulties in his classes.
He said coaching often prepares students to quickly solve familiar types of questions, but many can struggle when confronted with unfamiliar problems that they have not previously encountered.
‘DIFFICULTY NOT CONFINED TO ANY ADMISSION CATEGORY’
Rao stressed that these challenges should not be associated with any particular admission category.
He said the transition from a coaching-oriented learning environment to independent academic learning can be difficult for students regardless of their background or category.
As one possible solution, Rao proposed that IITs consider extending their BTech programmes to five years.
Under his suggested system, students who complete the required credits could graduate in four years, or potentially in three-and-a-half years. Students who require additional time could instead spread their coursework across five years and receive greater academic support.
Such support could include recorded lectures, online learning resources and language assistance where necessary, he suggested.
Rao said the pace at which students complete their degrees should be determined by their performance after entering IIT rather than by their admission category or JEE rank.
‘FIVE-YEAR PROGRAMME’ COULD REDUCE STIGMA
Rao said treating the course as a five-year programme for all students could also help avoid the stigma associated with needing additional time.
Students who require more time would simply follow the standard programme structure, while those able to progress faster could finish earlier. This would ensure that students completing a fifth year would not be singled out.
He emphasised that academic standards must remain intact, while also recognising that students enter IITs with different levels of preparation and do not necessarily learn at the same pace.
According to Rao, providing students with sufficient time and the necessary support to meet those academic standards should be considered a responsibility of the education system.
