The council of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) on Friday decided to increase the fees of MTech programmes by up to 10 times (nearly 900%) to Rs 2 lakh annually, making it equivalent to the fees charged for its BTech courses.
The hike will be introduced in a staggered manner over a three-year period, starting from 2020 academic session.
The IIT Council's decision to hike fees will be introduced in a staggered manner over a three-year period, starting from 2020 academic sessions.
"The council approved, in principle, recommendations of the three-member committee constituted for suggesting reforms in the M.Tech system. The committee has recommended a uniform fee structure for the M.Tech programme in all IITs, and for charging the same fee for M.Tech, as in B.Tech programmes." the HRD ministry said.
The IITs will also eliminate the monthly stipend of Rs 12,400 given to MTech students on the basis of their Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) score. "These funds can also be used for other professional activities," it said.
The ministry said that some part of this stipend will instead be used as a teaching assistant in UG Labs and courses.
The three-member committee council meeting, chaired by HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal, also approved a five-year review of new professors. The performance of new professionals will be reviewed every 5 years under the 'Tenure track system' based on which, new professors will be promoted as associate professors or will be discharged.
"The tenure of the faculty can be reviewed after 5.5 years from the date of joining by an external committee. Depending on the evaluation of research and service to the institute, she/he can be taken up to the higher level (associate professor) or asked to leave," it added.
As of now, admission and tuition fees for an MTech course at IIT-Mumbai is Rs 5,000, while for IIT Delhi it is Rs 10,000 for a semester. At IIT Madras, the tuition fee is Rs 5,000 with a onetime payment of Rs 3,750. IIT Kharagpur's first-semester fee is Rs 25,950 with a Rs 6,000 refundable fee and Rs 10,550 for subsequent semesters.
"Currently, IITs charge between Rs 20,000 and Rs 50,000 as annual M.Tech tuition fee. The cost of IIT education per year is around Rs 7 lakh. Rs 2 lakh will also be hugely subsidised," as per an IIT official.
The reform proposal also calls for ensuring the transfer of funds to needy students and for the government to arrange educational loans.
By Rupa Burman Roy
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