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Brand IIT Goes to the World

Gets OK to Set Up a Campus in Qatar  

The Indian Institute of Technology may finally get its first offshore campus. The proposal to set up an IIT campus in Qatar has reportedly been given an initial go ahead.

To be called the International Institute of Technology, it is to be set up by all the IITs in a concerted effort. To be co-ordinated by the IIT Council-the apex decision-making body for all IITs-this proposed new institute is learnt to have got the first green signal from the Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry.

While the HRD Ministry has traditionally been opposed to IITs or IIMs venturing abroad, arguing that "elite" educational institutions must focus their energies on India alone, the new dispensation in the ministry is keen Brand India makes a mark abroad. It is learnt that the ministry has, in principle, said it has 'no objection' to the Qatar plan.

"To be called the International Institute of Technology, it will have the support of all the IITs. There will be a joint venture between the Indian government and the Qatar government," said an official.
IIT Qatar, when it comes up, will rub shoulders with elite institutes like Carnegie Mellon University, Virginia Commonwealth University and Georgetown University School of Foreign Service that have set up branch campuses in Qatar's Education City.

The Qatar Foundation, chaired by the Emir's wife, Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned, has been instrumental in getting major American varsities set up centres in Education City-an educational district on the outskirts of Doha. The project aims to make oil-rich Qatar a knowledge economy by 2030.

About four lakhs students had appeared in the test last year for nearly 8200 seats in 15 IITs, IIT-BHU and ISM Dhanbad. The number of candidates is expected to go up this year as the seats in these institutes will be increased to over 10000 as the older IITs are expanding their intake for implementing the OBC quota.

Contents by Manoj Sharma

On the lines of the Common Aptitude Test (CAT) for management courses, the All India Engineering Entrance Exam (AIEEE) plans to conduct the exam online. The government has set up a committee of National Institute of Technology (NIT) directors to explore the possibility of making the exam online, in addition to the regular pen and paper test. Although schedule of AIEEE - 2010 will only be an Offline Paper based Exam. The committee will submit its report by January 2010.

The committee will also deliberate on giving Class XII board exam marks weightage during the entrance exam. 

Nearly 10 lakh students appeared for AIEEE for roughly 24,000 seats in engineering colleges across the country. This includes NITs, state engineering colleges, the Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) and deemed and central universities. The number of aspirants is expected to increase significantly over the next few years and the NIT council feels that an online test would facilitate the process. 

However, some members of the council felt that an online test would not be feasible considering poor  internet connectivity and the non-availability of computers in the rural areas. "All students are not familiar with computers. Hence, written tests should be a part of the system," director NIT Hamirpur IK Bhatt said.