Murthy felicitated around 10 professors of the institute with the ‘Excellence in Teaching’ awards. Dr S Joshi of the department of mechanical engineering was presented the coveted Dr PK Patwardhan Technology Development award for a tool-based micro machine for the development of micro components or features.

Murthy, who hails from a family where ‘almost everybody is a teacher’, said, “Great nations always have people with high aspirations and high values and these are primarily instilled by school and college teachers. It has been established by surveys that inspiration, enthusiasm and energy come first from family environment followed by teachers, peers, role models in academia and your chosen profession. Role models in academia are what IIT teachers are all about.”

Blaming the society for the endemic problem of lack of good quality teachers, Murthy elaborated on how teachers could be brought at the vanguard in society. “Teachers should be put ahead of politicians and corporate leaders and should be honoured whenever possible with more and more awards especially at the primary and secondary school level.”

He suggested that it was important to make teachers “bosses of our institutions” and that there was a need to provide “such institutes full autonomy with them having to choose new directors, professors decide promotions, fees etc.”

Murthy asserted, “I believe the salaries of school teachers and college professors should be similar to that of civil servants and corporate professionals. We have to create a national body that can award professors based on merit.” He emphasised on greater interaction with teachers and students in universities and schools abroad, adding that such an interaction had to be facilitated by institutions to ensure quality education.