Greater autonomy needed for IIT-like institutions: PM

Chennai, Dec 19 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday said institutions of excellence like the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) needed to function in a more autonomous manner.

Inaugurating PanIIT 2008, the three-day global conference of IIT alumni through a video conference from New Delhi, he said: 'There are many reasons for the success of the IIT system. Among the most important is their autonomy, and I am firmly of the view that the IITs, like all other institutions of excellence, need to function in a more autonomous manner.'

The prime minister's comments come in the backdrop of the debate surrounding the faculty shortage at premier Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), which want autonomy to recruit qualified teachers on appropriate remunerations but are unable to do so.

The IIMs currently face a severe faculty crunch on account of the widening gap between the industry pay scales and that of the IIM teachers. The six IIMs have over 110 faculty vacancies.