‘IIM, IIT staff not world-class’
Environment minister Jairam Ramesh on Monday said one of his “biggest frustrations” in UPA II was his “inability” to make Botanical Survey of India (BSI) and Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) autonomous. He said he was facing resistance from the scientific community within these two organisation, who are against autonomy as will make
them accountable. The minister, meanwhile, also slammed IITs and IIMs faculty saying that these educational institutions are “not world class” but are “excellent” because of the quality of students.
On the autonomy issue of BSI and ZSI, Mr Ramesh said, “One of the biggest frustrations in my two years stay in the ministry is my inability to give autonomous status to these two premier institutions.” He was addressing the Stakeholders’ Consultations on Biodiversity for Asia and Pacific here. “If it becomes autonomous, independent, then it will become accountable,” he added.
Mr Ramesh said his proposal was that “ZSI and BSI, which are 100 year old institutions, will be run the way CSIR laboratories are run.” He said these institutions are not been able to retain young people and have a “sad state of affairs.”
On the issue of IITs and IIMs, he said “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 IITs and IIMs are excellent because of the quality of students not because of quality of research or faculty.”
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