IIT, Indian Institute of Technology is not just an institute but is a benchmark of reputed education in India. Getting into IIT is the dream of most students in India. There are parents who are dreaming of IIT for their kids in 1st grade. There are students who sacrifice their childhood to crack the JEE, entrance exam of IIT.
Do you know what makes IIT most desirable among students as well as their parents? The kind of education they provide as well as the kind of placements they give are the reasons for IIT being a dream institute for students in India.
Well, do you know how this culture of IIT started in India? You must read this article till the end to know.
The Idea of IIT
In 1946, before India became an independent country, Sir Jogendra Singh who was a member of the Viceroy’s Executive Council set up a committee whose motive was to work on the establishment of higher technical institutes for the development of post-independence India.
The committee was headed by Nalini Ranjan Sarkar. The 22-membered committee recommended that institutes must be established in different parts of the country.
For the post-independence development of India, it was obvious that India need to ensure that the youth of the nation get a good education in the fields of technology.
Kharagpur: The First IIT
In 1950, the first Indian Institute of Technology was established in Kharagpur, West Bengal. On 18th August 1951, the inauguration of the institute was held but the name “Indian Institute of Technology” was adopted much before the inauguration.
In 1956, An act was passed by the Parliament of India which declares IIT Kharagpur as an institute of national importance. “Here in the place of that Hijli Detention Camp stands the fine monument of India, representing India's urges, India's future in the making. This picture seems to me symbolic of the changes that are coming to India.” this is what Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India said about IIT Kharagpur in 1956.
The institute is renowned for its Engineering courses and is always spotted among the top 5 institutes in the NIRF ranking. In 2019, IIT Kharagpur was awarded the position of the “Institute of Eminence” by the Government of India.
Source: Google Images
Establishment of More IITs
After the establishment of Ist IIT in Kharagpur, four new IITs were founded in Bombay (1958), Madras (1959), Kanpur (1959) and Delhi (1961). The idea was to establish institutes which can provide high technical education in the major cities of the country.
The second Indian Institute of Technology was founded in 1958, in Bombay, in collaboration with the former Soviet Union. In 1959, IIT Madras (Chennai) was established in collaboration with West Germany, and in 1960, IIT Kanpur was established in collaboration with a few leading American universities, led by MIT. In 1963, IIT Delhi was founded by upgrading the College of Engineering and Technology, which had been built in 1961 at Hauz Khas, New Delhi, with British cooperation.
Agitations by the students in the state of Assam pushed Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to promise the establishment of a new IIT in Assam. In 1995 the sixth IIT was founded at Guwahati in Assam, located on a scenic campus near the Brahmaputra River. Since 1995, the IIT system was powerful enough to administer in its own growth, unlike the earlier institutes, IIT Guwahati had no formal affiliation with any other country.
Source: Google Images
On 21 September 2001, through a decree by the president of India, the oldest technical institute of India, the University of Roorkee, was elevated to an IIT and was renamed the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, in the newly formed state of Uttaranchal.
In this way, the seven IITs were established in different states of India.
After 2001, eight new IITs were founded in 2008-2009. All these IITs were established in different states of India. In 2016, four new IITs were established which are the last IITs found in India as of now.
Getting into any of these IITs is no less than some dream come true moment for Indian students. Not just education, but the campus and infrastructure of all the IITs deserve appreciation. They are good enough to provide a cool college life.
How to Get into an IIT?
Well, that’s not so easy. Students have to sacrifice a lot to prepare for the entrance. The entrance exam for IIT is JEE which has two phases- JEE Mains and JEE Advanced. A student has to score well in both of these to get admission to an IIT. IITs provided courses mainly in Engineering like B.Tech.
The Pressure of Getting into an IIT
Honestly speaking, it is a pressure, a serious one. In India almost every parent dream of making their kids an engineer. Once, they opt for science in class 11th, the pressure starts building up. Pressure is not always directly, sometimes it is in the form of hopes and expectations. Parents spend so much money on the coachings like FIITJEE, NARAYANA etc.
This also builds a kind of pressure on the students that they have to clear the exam because their parents are spending money on them. But you know what, approximately 10-14 lakh students appear for entrance while all the IITs collectively have only ten thousand seats. It means every year thirteen lakh ninety thousand students are there who fail in the entrance.
Sometimes, the pressure, stress and depression get too much that they end up taking the wrong step. The movies like 3 Idiots, Chhichhore and series like Kota Factory very clearly show the struggle and stress of the IIT aspirants.
The problem is parents don’t understand this. There are few parents who still don’t believe that their children are mentally tortured due to their dreams, hopes and expectations. Dreams are important but not more than lives.
Written By: Nidhi Jha
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