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This section feels that BESU deserves nothing less than an IIT status, and if not upgraded to this level, it sees no reason why the elevation should take place.
“BESU will be better off as a state university. A case in point is the Jadavpur University that has 10,000 students and even with a campus half our size, it is rated among the best universities in the country,” said a senior university official.
The teachers of the university have, however, come out in support of the upgrade. Under the banner of Bengal Engineering Science University Teachers’ Association (BESUTA), the teachers on March 12 wrote to vice-chancellor Ajoy Kumar Ray stating: “BESUTA has witnessed time and again the existence of a negative force acting within the university to sabotage this upgrade for their narrow and vested interest,”
Teachers at the university also allege that the state
government does not want the university to go out of their authority zone.
The V-C on Monday addressed both the employees and teachers of the university on the issue, saying the university is committed to the cause of achieving a national status.
“State universities will not be able to sustain themselves if they remain associated with the state. For engineering and research, we need more funds,” said the V-C, while adding: “Some people are being myopic in their approach to the upgrade.”
BESU is the second oldest engineering institute in the country, set up in the
year 1856.
Earlier during the tenure of UPA-1 when the matter of upgrading of the status was discussed between the Centre and the state, the state government had put a rider of having 50 per cent students from the state — something that has never been the case with central institutions across the country.
Towards the end of 2007, a letter was sent to the chief secretary of West Bengal, declaring that BESU will be upgraded to Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST). Later citing media reports and violence on campus, a letter was sent to the state Governor on January 2009, withholding the upgrading process.
The Anandakrishnan Committee had initially recommended five institutes, including BESU, to be upgraded to a national institute in the name of IIEST. These included BHU Institute of Technology, Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), Osmania University College of Engineering and Technology, and Andhra University College of Engineering and Technology. BESU, however, is the only one left in the fray with institutes like IT-BHU being upgraded to IIT and CUSAT insisting that its wants to remain with the state government.
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What is the gurantee IIT or NIT or Jadavpur Univ or BESU will remain at top in India after Five or Ten years?. We know MHRD already Cleared foreign University Bill and Global Engineering University are establishing their campusses in India its Global Competition Now. Let this institute become IIEST which concentrate on Post Graduate or Higher Eduction and Research specific to Engineering and Technology Just Like IISc Bangalore (basically Specific to Science) which will better even IIT's in fewer years to come or else face the Global Compitetion with poor state funding?
The Govt. must go ahead and upgrade the institute to IIT or IIEST irrespective of what some people are trying, to halt the process of upgradation due to their own personal narrowminded thinking and are being guided by some petty poloticians who are master in everything.It's high time that the same is pending and being an Alumni, it's hurting every former student like me who has been a part of this great college and seen it from inside for some years. We need upgradation and nothing should hold us back from doing that.