New Delhi, October 19
Entry to IIT system will soon be linked to school performance at senior secondary level, with the current eligibility cut-off of 60 per cent at Class XII — required for IIT selection — proposed to be raised substantially.

The move, difficult to implement given the absence of uniform class XII board in India, aims to tame the mushrooming teaching shops besides upholding the dignity of school system.

There was unanimity on the issue among members of the IIT Council (the highest decision making body with respect to the technical institutes), which met in the capital today to discuss the growth of IITs. The percentage of increase remained debatable.

Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal, who chaired the meeting, wants the cut off to be 80 to 85 per cent — a raise some experts call unreasonable. The exact picture would be clear after IIT directors frame a proposal on the subject. Sibal said the increased weightage would be effective from 2010 or 2011, positively, so would be all other reform measures.

“Coaching centres persuade class XII students to ignore school. That is why we don’t see many girls, whose parents don’t send them to such centres, enter the IITs. The current cut off of 60 per cent in Class XII is very low. I would prefer 80 to 85 per cent,” he said after the meeting which was happening after five years.

It is unclear whether the proposed raise would apply to aggregate score in Class XII or only to PCM (physics, chemistry, and maths), which is graded in IIT exam. So far, BITS Pilani mandates that its aspirants should have 80 per cent in PCM in class XII to enter the institute.

The government, meanwhile, extended to IITs the decision of having an independent collegium for the selection of directors and board of governors. Last week, IIMs were told to plan the constitution of such a collegium.

Besides, the IIT Council today set up two committees for reform purpose. A five-member panel under Indian Atomic Energy Commission chief Anil Kakodkar will lead IITs to the future, fix their research and national priorities and list areas for private collaborations. It will report back in six months.

Another committee will review the existing IIT curriculum and propose changes in three months. “IITs must evolve to meet the challenges of tomorrow. Right now they are primarily undergraduate teaching institutes. We want more PhDs in the system and will incentivise the process,” Sibal said.

The government further decided today to do away with the fixed nature of non-plan grant to IITs. It will now be linked to the number of students, which means larger IITs will get larger grants. Also, income eligibility for means cum merit scholarship was enhanced from Rs two to Rs 4.5 lakh.

The strangest part of the meet, however, was complete silence on the issue of salary hike, which stirred the IIT Faculty Federation’s two-month strike. Sibal said the matter did not come up as IIT directors didn’t present any plan. A surprised federation chief M. Thenmozhi told The Tribune, “We will assess the outcome of the meeting and decide the future course of action. We had huge expectations from the Council.”

Sibal had earlier assured the faculty that the IIT Council would address their salary-related concerns. It was upon this assurance that the faculty suspended its agitation.