Evolution of Engineering Education in India and its Current Status

In 1945 the Sarkar Committee was appointed to suggest options for advanced technical education in India. The Sarkar committee recommended the establishment of higher technical institutes based on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the four regions of India. This resulted in the setting up of the five Indian Institutes of Technology at Kharagpur (1950), Bombay (1958), Kanpur (1959), Madras (1960) and Delhi (1961) (Delhi was added on to the original four). The All India Council for Technical Education was set up in 1945, to oversee all technical education (diploma, degree and post-graduate) in the country.

Sarkar Committee(1945) was set up to study Higher Technical Institutions for the Post-war Industrial Development recommended setting up of Indian Institute of Technology.

Thacker Committee (1959-61) was set up to study Post-Graduate Engineering Education and Research recommended funding for 100 Ph.Ds annually.

Nayudamma Committee (1979-80) looked into PG Education in Engineering and Technology recommended PG minimum qualification for Industry and R&D.

Nayudamma Committee (1986) reviewed IITs in India and recommended greater flexibility in Academic Programme, focus on Engineering Research and Faculty Mobility.

P. Rama Rao committee (1995) was set-up to study Reshaping PG Education in Engineering and Technology recommended 21 Months M.Tech, increased Scholarship Amount, Assured Employment for M.Techs. and National Doctoral Programme.

R.A. Mashelkar Committee (1998) was set up to draw a Strategic Road Map for Academic Excellence of Future Regional Engineering Colleges recommended conversion of RECs into NITs with status of a Deemed to be University and structural changes in governance.

U. R. Rao Committee (2003) was set up to Revitalizing the Technical Education recommended Regional inequities to be removed, faculty shortage to be addressed, need for planning and coordination in the working of the AICTE.

P. Rama Rao Committee (2004) was set up to Review IITs in India recommended  Increase UG output of IITs, fund infrastructure increase, and add new IITs but maintain quality.

Prof. Yashpal Committee submitted its report to HRD Ministry in June 2011 wherein recommended that the deemed university status be abandoned and that all deserving deemed varsities be either converted full-fledged universities or scrapped -- and a GRE like test be evolved for university education.  The committee said a plethora of regulatory bodies like UGC, AICTE, NCTE et al be replaced by a seven-member Commission for Higher Education and Research (CHER) under an Act of Parliament. It has also recommended, obviously, buffer the new regulator against political pressures, that the position of chairperson of the proposed commission be analogous to that of election commissioners. Expressing concern on the mushrooming of engineering and management colleges, that had "largely become business entities dispensing very poor quality education", Yashpal committee lamented the growth of deemed universities and called for a complete ban on further grant of such status. Existing ones, the committee said, should be given three years to develop as a university and fulfil the prescribed accreditation norms.

Despite several failures in the past, Union Government is committed to the cause of promoting research in Science and Technology sector. Keeping the priorities of Union Government in mind, the HRD ministry has constituted a high-level advisory committee to look into the possibilities of promoting research in universities and other institutes of higher education in the next five-year plan. HRD ministry has instructed the advisory committee comprising of Chairman of Jawaharlal Centre for Advance Scientific Research Bangalore Professor Rodam Narsimha, IIT Kanpur Professor Ashutosh Sharma, National Centre for Biological Sciences Professor Vijay Raghvan, Secretary Biotechnology Department Dr MK Bhan and Dr Anil Kakodkar to submit its report in the next four months. The recommendations made by the committee will help in drafting the policies to promote research in the 12th five-year plan. According to sources, the committee will examine methods to attract the younger generation towards research, study the problems faced by research scholars and suggest solution. To ensure that finance does not act as a constraint in research programmes, the committee has been directed to look for ways to attract investors. The committee faces the task of searching long term investments in research sector so that the projects remain undisturbed after the 12th five-year plan.