IITs, IIMs to open doors to Pakistanis
In the name of peace and neighbourly ties, your child may have to
compete harder for that elusive seat at the Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT) or the Indian Institute of Management (IIM). For,
Pakistani students will soon be able to study at the IITs and IIMs.
This is a major reversal in policy as foreign students haven't been
allowed to study at the IITs so far. In fact, despite being among
institutes with global recognition, the IITs and IIMs have never
been part of any of the education roadshows organised by either
EdCIL (Education Consultants India) or UGC-FICCI.
The idea being that as state-run institutions, funded substantially
by the government, Indian students should have the first dibs on
IIT/IIM education .
The suggestion was made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his
meetings with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. Sources say the
Prime Minister's Office (PMO) is keen on seeing the proposal go
through.
Pakistani students would have to appear for the IIT-JEE (IIT's joint
entrance exam) and the CAT (IIM's common admission test ).
A measure of the interest in opening up the country's premier
engineering and management institutions is the fact that the
government will consider devising a separate exam for the Pakistani
candidates in the event that they can not appear for the IIT-JEE or
CAT.
The ministry of human resources development, which the
administrative ministry for these two institutions, will begin talks
with the PMO shortly. Talks would determine modalities of the
admission, the percentage of seats to be set aside for Pakistani
students and the fee structure.
Admission to the IITs and IIMs are extremely competitive, with
students working hard to crack the exams. In the case of the seven
IITs, there are some 3000-odd seats up for grabs, while the six IIMs
take in some 1300-odd students every year. More than two lakh
students appear for the IITs while one lakh compete for the IIMs.
What is not clear is if this will mark the beginning of opening up
of these highly-prized government-funded institutions to foreigners.
Or will the Pakistani students be accorded a special favour?
Soucre:Economic Times,APRIL 20'05
In the name of peace and neighbourly ties, your child may have to
compete harder for that elusive seat at the Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT) or the Indian Institute of Management (IIM). For,
Pakistani students will soon be able to study at the IITs and IIMs.
This is a major reversal in policy as foreign students haven't been
allowed to study at the IITs so far. In fact, despite being among
institutes with global recognition, the IITs and IIMs have never
been part of any of the education roadshows organised by either
EdCIL (Education Consultants India) or UGC-FICCI.
The idea being that as state-run institutions, funded substantially
by the government, Indian students should have the first dibs on
IIT/IIM education .
The suggestion was made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his
meetings with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. Sources say the
Prime Minister's Office (PMO) is keen on seeing the proposal go
through.
Pakistani students would have to appear for the IIT-JEE (IIT's joint
entrance exam) and the CAT (IIM's common admission test ).
A measure of the interest in opening up the country's premier
engineering and management institutions is the fact that the
government will consider devising a separate exam for the Pakistani
candidates in the event that they can not appear for the IIT-JEE or
CAT.
The ministry of human resources development, which the
administrative ministry for these two institutions, will begin talks
with the PMO shortly. Talks would determine modalities of the
admission, the percentage of seats to be set aside for Pakistani
students and the fee structure.
Admission to the IITs and IIMs are extremely competitive, with
students working hard to crack the exams. In the case of the seven
IITs, there are some 3000-odd seats up for grabs, while the six IIMs
take in some 1300-odd students every year. More than two lakh
students appear for the IITs while one lakh compete for the IIMs.
What is not clear is if this will mark the beginning of opening up
of these highly-prized government-funded institutions to foreigners.
Or will the Pakistani students be accorded a special favour?
Soucre:Economic Times,APRIL 20'05