Sibal assures autonomy to protesting IIT teachers

The government would not interfere in the administration of the premier Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal has assured the protesting IIT teachers, even as he sought to clarify some of their contentions.

'The IIT system can (be) rest assured Kapil Sibal will not interfere,' the minister told Karan Thapar in an interview telecast on the CNN-IBN Sunday night.

'I am ready to walk a mile if the faculty walks two steps....I want to give them more autonomy, I am ready to give them more flexibility but they have to deliver (on quality),' he added.

Teachers of the 14 IITs across the country have been agitating and held a 'hunger protest' Thursday to press for their demands, including better salaries and removal of conditions on recruitment and promotions.

Clarifying about the condition that 10 percent of the new recruitments should be on contract for three years, the minister said: 'Those with a PhD or industry experience should be on contract for three years, but IIT directors can recommend taking the exceptional candidates on tenure earlier.'

Referring to the second area of the teachers' concern, a four-year gap for promotion of an assistant professor to the next grade, Sibal said: 'This is their own guideline... we don't want to interfere.' He also said the IIT directors could recommend a waiver in exceptional cases.

'If you come across a Stephen Hawking, a C.N.R. Rao, IIT directors can always make an exception,' he said, adding that the exception should not become a norm.

Asked if he would go to the protesting teachers with his clarifications, Sibal said: 'IIT boards, directors should talk to the faculty. Let them communicate... dialogue is the way forward, either through (the) directors or directly.'

from in.com