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"There is hardly any worthwhile research from our IITs. The faculty in the IIT is not world class. It is the students in IITs who are world class. So the Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) are excellent because of the quality of students not because of quality of research or faculty," Ramesh told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
The outspoken minister is an alumni of IIT Mumbai from where he obtained his B.Tech degree in Mechanical Engineering 1975.
On his Ministry's decision to have a joint venture with Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) to set up a National Centre for Marine Biodiversity in Jamnagar, he said the decision was taken as a world class research centre cannot be built in a "Governmental set up" and can never attract young people.
Asked whether there was any conflict of interest in collaborating with Reliance, the Minister said, "Life is one large conflict of interest."
"We cannot build a world class research centre in a Governmental set up. The governmental set up can never attract young people. Never. Let us understand our experience in the last 60 years. Government research institutions can never attract young talent.
"So we want to think differently. We have to think differently, how we are going to organise our research institutions. And this is one way of building PPP," Ramesh said.
"So I have been to Jamnagar and we are in a PPP mode. We are having a joint venture with Reliance to set up a world class national centre for marine biodiversity," he said.
Jamnagar is also the site for India's first marine national park, the Minister said.
This would be a new centre that would focus exclusively on the conservation of our marine biodiversity, Ramesh added.
Disappointed with Justice Shah's remarks: Ramesh
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh termed as "most unscientific approach" former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court A P Shah's reported remarks that the Jaitapur nuclear power project would be a catastrophe if all the safety concerns were not addressed.
"Most unscientific approach. I am disappointed in Justice Shah," Ramesh told reporters when asked about remarks of Shah, who is heading a people's tribunal set up to study the proposed Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project.
According to reports, Shah during a hearing on public hearing on the safety, viability and cost efficiency of nuclear energy in Mumbai on Saturday said that Enron was only a financial disaster, but the Jaitapur project would be a catastrophe.
He also lamented the lack of public debate in the country on the Jaitapur project saying "everything is hush-hush."
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IIT ex-alumni Jairam Ramesh has voiced critical comments on the premier educational institutions IIMs and IITs as being excellent not because of their faculty, but due to the excellence of their students. This is a belated fact being given long over recognition some a very percentage of its students have a proven record of academic excellence in their disciplines and enter these prized institutions on basis of strict merit in the highly competitive CAT exams. Most naturally credit must go to the students since minimum cut-off marks are always mandatory in the higher 90s for selection to the written tests and the following GDPIs. Students who are 'lucky' to gain entry are naturally deemed the smartest of the pack hence what could the institution's faculty teach these prized academicians. It's just their guidance in professional standard achievements that make their presence valuable to the students who are already brimming with confidence from the first day into the classroom.
IITs and IIMs will prosper only if they stop reservations and promote quality/merit
Funny coming from a senior minister of a country which is a leader in corruption globally,a country with more than 30% of its lawmakers with criminal records of the worst sort and himself a member of a non performing and inept governance.A pot calling kettles black
Is Mr. Ramesh a "world class" minister?
J Ramesh managed to graduate from an IIT? Then IITs deserve whatever drivel he serves up. I wonder how he says IIT students are world class though --- he alone must have brought down the standard to near-Rwanda-class.
Jairam Ramesh is correct in criticising IITs and IIMs. These institutions get the best and the brighest students as they have nowhere to go. The research at these institutions are absolutely joke. One can't just blame the faculty, but a whole lot of other things including the militant unions of the support staff and the technicians. Amabanis are also not that great. They have done noting more than building edifices to their own vanity, whether it is a trophy wife, an opulent palace, or a fancy airplane. Relying on "Reliance" (pun not intended) is also a great mistake. Jairam should build autonomous institutions governed by responsible academics both from India and abroad.
RIl will establish "world class" research facility! What a joke! Does this minister know the condition of RIL's own research center- Dhirubhai Ambani Knowledge Center" (or something like that) at Navi Mumbai? It has impressive building but practically NO RESEARCH, even at Indian standard, forget about world std. Reliance is great to do "business" in third world countries like India and capable to cheat people/employees and evade tax and reap "other benefits" in the name of "research" or "education". This minister probably knows about IITs/IIMs, but not about Reliance or majority of Indian business houses.
One wonders that without factulty how do you get educated.Why is this Minister anti India whether it is for development or now for education. Did he get educated at any of these colleges or is he jealous of missing the opportunity?????
To purchase a good euipment, essential for a good research, the faculty member in IITs have to bend down before the administration, handle so uch of file work...learn so much of shady audit rules...and what not...it makes frustrated...Mr. Minister, as a member in Union Cabinet, could you kindly move a proposal to make the IITs free from beurocracy of the day. Its easy for you people to pass on such esay comments anyway....Can you do something good....
An association is there just for the sake of it. An organisation functions for the achievement of certain goals. Institutes of higher education in India are not well organised. Factions of academic politicians refunction organisational resources for private use.
Loved that 'Life is one large conflict of interest' LOL
Jairam's allegations can be proved or disproved in a quantitative manner. The research works of members of faculty are open. To certain extent Jairam is right - not all the members of faculty are world class. But to accept the fact that the students of IITs are world class is extremely hard to digest. How much of the world's problems have these people ever solved ? They know to aim big, think big and achieve big - in size or quantum - never in reach. What most of these graduates do hardly reach the poorest in this planet - who are a majority of all the people occupying this globe. To make a supersonic fighter jet, or a cruise vessel or an luxury automobile isn't intelligence - its smartness, street smartness - which is far far away from true wisdom.
Nothing can be said better than this by the minister.The so called proffesors and the whole bunch of the CSIR backed so called research labs or nothing but a retirement &recreation centre and these guys are worse than the politicos who loot the public.NATIONAL AERO SPACE LAB is a classical example of nothing being done for the past few decades and that so called defence aircraft they claim to have designed can be consigned to the history books only.
It is no secret that faculty at IITs and IIMs are not world class, barring exceptions that can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Our students, especially at IIMs are continually short-charged. But these heavily selected students are amongst the best in the world and, to a large extent, compensate. It's not a private versus government argument per se. However, it is true that stupid government policies and interference contribute heavily to the state of affairs. Excellence is not something that can be brought about by diktats from babus. The misplaced nationalism of the SKs of the world only helps to perpetuate this dismal state of affairs.
So what is this?. A new joke from Jairam Ramesh's pocket book? I wonder if he would have participated in the first session of Laughter Challenge he would have been the winner!!! Every time he speaks he gives us new reasons to laugh.. Thanks Mr. Ramesh I think you will replace Lalu one day from the top slot of most funny politician. Students usually remain in trans (after clearing JEE) dreaming themselves as next genius after Einstein till they get result of their first semester, but I think you are still in trans even after 36 years!! Don't blame faculty for poor research output. If you want to blame anyone, blame R&D department. Everyone in India knows the kind of scholarship govt. gives to research students... rest is self evident
Sir, I agree with Mr. Ramesh for a change. I am an M.Tech from IIT Kanpur - and some of the faculty was really substandard - and with no guidelines on the syllabi - what was taught in certain courses was really elementary. I shall not take the names of the teachers - as it does not sound appropriate to me. In non-autonomous educational institutions - you still can acquire knowledge by studying yourself in a course - even if you have a bad teacher - as he does not examine you. In IITs your instructor evaluates you - which has its pros and cons - but it can be a disaster if an incompetent teacher is at the helm - you cannot complain because the academic fraternity perceives your complaint as a threat to them as a group.
Blame game? We are good at it. If the students are good, why they are not joining IITs and IIMs to become faculty members and contributing to world class excellance?
Worst, we have third class politicians (Jairam Ramesh included) running this country. It is only resiliance of the people of this country which brings some honour to this country.
Sir,Three Idiots based on the story of Chetan Bhagat is a story of IITs.This is a fact that IITs despite their hyped brand value have not produced a single nobel lauret.Here the main problem is lack of free thinking.My son passed his BS and MS from University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.When I went to attend his graduation ceremony I was overwhelmed by the portraits of dozens of scientists from UIUC who had received nobel prize in different fields.
Please note Noble prizes are awarded for contribution to Physics, Chemistry, Literature, Medicine, Economics and Peace. So Engineering, Math and Technology are NOT subjects covered. Obviously IIT engineers have concentration in Technology and Engineering. So to expect IITs to have Nobel Laureates is unrealistic. Plus U of I Urbana Champaigne was founded in 1855 i.e a 100 years before IITs. So give 100 more years and equal amount of research focus and you will find Nobel Laureates at IITs !
who is he blaming? NASA, Lawrence Livermore Labs and plenty others are a goverment owned research facility (US), so are CERN (Switzerland) and European Space Reseach Organization, San Diego Oceanographic Institute .. and innumerable great reseach organizations around teh worls. In fact, most of great reasearch organizations in teh world are government owned. If Indian organizations and academic institutes are not doing well, it is because of these corrupt Congressmen who would like to sell India and its organizations to private players. All the intruments to destroy good intitute are in play - reservations, reduction in government financing, political appointments.. just so that private players can own the education and research space.. worse it will be sold off to foreign players. This guy is a mole and a traitor. If he cannot understand Justice Shah's concerns, he is either an idiot or is deliberately pretending. Why is there no debate on Jaitapur - who is stopping?
Well Jairam has a point, and we cannot just wish it away by saying we are ashamed of him. It's not a congress/bjp issue either. It's a question of motivation for research. NASA is great, "but" knowing DRDO/ISRO in India, I recently asked someone who just did internship at NASA as to what makes it so different. He said they aren't any different. They are as laid back as any other government organization. So what makes NASA great. It's their private partnership and an open defence sector, with companies like lockheed martin and boeings and many others working in tandem with NASA. India has suffered because of restrictions, and there is no private sector in research. It's a policy mistake, and if Jairam is looking to correct it, he deserves a chance to dream. Bottomline, it is business and economics that generates sustained motivation. otherwise you run research in government sector on patriotism, cause or just fun of doing things. These are unfortunately very fickle organizational motivation. There is a lot of individual greatness in IITs and IIMs but it is questionable what they have been able to produce results as a brand: It's like Indian cricket team of yesteryears. Individual greatness, and team failures.
An interesting reply to the previous and to Jairam Ramesh. I had been debating this issue day in and day out and have come to some conclusions. Institutions become great because of individuals who are par excellence and they are far and few. Even the so called IIT and IIM are only a microcosm of India and has its own huge majority which is mediocre at best and not excellence in fact the excellent among the faculty and the student may not be more than one or two per batch and among the staff I would be surprised if there is one left. The reason is mediocrity breeds mediocrity and as the famous adage goes "Bad money drives good money out of circulation " :Mediocrity drives excellence out of circulation " The corrupt in the government offices have already driven out the good non corrupt out of circulation" A company like Reliance which was so successful in a corrupt government cannot foster good research nor can they be patrons. This is because of the mindset that excellence can be built or attracted by mediocrity and corrupt .It cannot. Jairam Ramesh is part and parcel of a corrupt congress mindset which cannot identify excellence .This is one of the reasons why Indians working abroad get Nobel prizes than the ones working in India. I would add IISc also among the mediocre institutions . Mediocrity does not become excellence
Jairam seems to love making a MESS wherever he goes, be it his Ministry or the IIT's. Even I a Scientist and no fan of the IIT's know that it takes two to Tango. The prime drawing point of the IIT's is the high salary offered to its Engineering graduates. When such is the case students have no incentive to study further or to do Research. Faculty can not do Research alone. They need Students. Rather the demands on the time of the Faculty are such that they can carry out Research best by guiding Students as Mentors and not by working in the Lab themselves. Apparently Jairam is unaware of this. Sir, kindly do check whether proper disposal facilities are available before relieving your Brain of its accumulated crap.