The Hindu : National : Identify the hidden Ramanujans: Kalam

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Sunday, Dec 24, 2006
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Identify the hidden Ramanujans: Kalam

Special Correspondent

MUMBAI: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Saturday diagnosed the ills of the Indian Institute of Technology system, which is being hailed the world over for the excellence of its alumni.

Just one-hundredth of the one per cent of 20 million children born in India made it to the IITs but they were the best and came out as the best "with very low value additions."

The system did not touch hidden Ramanujans and Einsteins, and though the IITs were mandated to produce the best minds for teaching and research, ironically, they were unable to attract the best faculty today, Mr. Kalam said. A 4,000-strong alumni of the seven IITs, many in high-profile managerial and technical jobs in 20 different countries, and directors of the IITs were listening to Mr. Kalam as he inaugurated here a three-day `Pan-IIT 2006 Global Conference' with the theme `nation-building through technology.'

The IITians did not join the armed forces as did students of regular engineering colleges, Mr. Kalam said.

He reminded the alumni that the direct benefit of the IITs to the nation in terms of knowledge products and Intellectual Property "is rather minimal."

Find a mechanism

He wanted the Pan-IITians and the country to find a mechanism to identify hidden the Ramanujans, "those needles in the haystack," and expand the spirit of the IIT to touch every technical university in the country with a view to creating a vast number of quality students and faculty.

"This is particularly important not only for taking care of the faculty needs of IITs but also for taking up the challenges of development that would be thrown open by the vision of the nation to become a developed one."

Focussed missions

Mr. Kalam wanted the IIT alumni to take up focussed missions, with a time frame, which could immediately touch society.

The IITians should prepare a technology road-map for energy independence and create a consortium to prepare a plan of action for inculcating innovation and creativity in engineering graduates.

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