"Reservation laws as applicable to Indian institutes will be applicable to the foreign institutes. There will be no discrimination," Sibal said when asked if these universities are expected to implement quota.
THE 6PC FOR IIT FACULTY: A White Paper
by The All India IIT Faculty Federation
28th September 2009
Why do we need this White Paper?
The earlier IITs at Kharagpur, Bombay, Madras, Kanpur and Delhi were conceived of and established by the Parliament of India as “Institutes of National Importance” following Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s vision for the nation. They were designed with his vision to produce high quality human resources in the areas of Technology, Engineering, Science, and Humanities and Social Sciences, in order to make our nation self-reliant. They were also designed with his vision to engage in high quality research to provide science and technology inputs for India’s all round development. Accordingly, the IITs should be logically seen not as pure teaching or pure research institutions, but as institutions that blend teaching with research to develop that rare and elusive intellectual synergy. In any case, our country needs different types of institutions founded on different philosophies concerning knowledge, its creation, utilization, dissemination and application within and for the nation.
Since the IITs and the IIT system have a special status, they are governed/regulated through the IIT Council, the corresponding apex body with the Minister of HRD serving as the Chairperson, and with the Chairpersons of the Boards of Governors (BoG) of the individual IITs and the respective Directors among others comprising the members.. In other words, the IITs are not governed/regulated by the UGC or the AICTE or any other such body, but the IIT Council. This point is important because it unambiguously reveals that the policies, structure, systems and processes concerning the direction and operations of the IITs and the IIT system should reflect their special status. It is noteworthy that India’s higher education system has several apex governing/regulatory bodies including inter alia the UGC (for general higher education), AICTE (for technical, management and specified professional education), Medical Council of India (for medical education), Council of Architecture (for Architecture education), Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (for Accounting, Auditing education), etc., and it seems that these apex bodies are not within the purview of the same Ministry!!! Also, it is clear that different Ministries (Commerce and Industry, Agriculture, Tourism, Environment and Forests, Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, etc.) control distinctive educational institutions they promoted at various points of time. Most importantly, the IIT Council is the only apex body that enjoys the presence of the Minister as its Chairperson and a very large membership of internationally renowned intellectuals, and it seems that no other apex body of any group of sister institutions enjoys the same privilege.
Given the above background, and the following developments:
a) the present MHRD notifications and public statements of the concerned Honourable Minister regarding the 6th Pay Commission scales applicable to the IIT system;
b) the fact that 15 (fifteen only) IITs are presently operational, with eight among them having been established only very recently under the mentorship of the earlier seven IITs;
c) the massive expansion of the earlier seven IITs, in terms of a mandatory increase in student intake as well as launching additional, newer programmes across disciplines, without a corresponding increase in faculty strength;
d) the impending establishment of foreign universities in our soil, for whom the operational policies are expected to be more liberal than those for the IIT system;
e) the Concept Note of MHRD pronouncing the establishment of 14 (fourteen only) world-class National Universities to be developed as global Centers of Innovation;
f) fulfillment of the much needed expansion in higher science education system through the establishment of the five Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER);
g) the establishment of specialized Institutions of higher technical education, viz. information technology sector (IIIT), design and manufacturing sector (IIITDM), oil and natural gas sector (RGIPT), space sector (IIST), etc.;
h) the Government’s intent to make IIT quality education available to everyone (who would wish for it) through a Virtual University;
i) the possible establishment of Research Parks by, and in partnership with, the IITs, the first of which is ready for inauguration in IIT Madras;
the new roles required of the IITs and the IIT system in India, and their future, need to be widely discussed. Obviously, the content, nature and reach of faculty duties and responsibilities must necessarily change, while demonstrating the system’s spirit of excellence even more vigorously. Are the pay scales and career paths good enough to attract the necessary number of high-quality faculty to the IIT system?
The need for this White Paper, in the form of a tabular comparison, should now be obvious.
The table below presents a point-by-point comparison of the myths/misconceptions (that primarily arose from reports in the print media and interviews/discussions in the electronic media) vis-à-vis the reality/facts (as per the All India IIT Faculty Federation) about specific issues that have arisen following the MHRD’s notification of the 6th Pay Commission scales for the IIT system.
[Stan edit: this is actually a three column table, so read it under the formatting, with i) ii) and iii) being the three columns]
i) ISSUE ii) MYTHS/MISCONCEPTIONS iii) REALITY/FACTS
i) Basis of faculty discontent
ii) “It’s about money ……… not autonomy”
iii)
a) It is about autonomy and money viewed together.
b) It is about retaining vs. infringement on existing autonomy in deciding terms and conditions for faculty appointment.
c) Norms/Guidelines and conditions for faculty appointments notified/mandated by bodies other than the IITs’ Boards of Governors (BoG) would violate IITs’ Acts and Statutes, viz. infringement on autonomy of IITs. So, changes in minimum criteria for appointment as faculty members and creation/abolition of posts are within the purview of the BoG.
d) The IIT system seems to be systematically downgraded by policy interventions by the last few Pay Commissions.
i) Competitive Pay
ii) Faculty members want globally competitive pay.
iii)
a) Pay should be domestically competitive to attract and retain top quality faculty members at all levels, and especially at the entry level of Assistant Professors.
b) A comparison with Western universities or industry pay scales was never raised by AIIITFF.
c) IIT Associate Professors and Professors seek a well deserved 1 to 2% overall hike (Very high? Globally competitive?) over the Gross Pay mainly to maintain the existing parity with comparable designations and scales in other Indian Institutions.
i) Working day fast
ii) The faculty members going on one working day hunger strike is inconsistent with their dignity and diminishes the image of IITs and is “trade union” like.
iii)
a) The faculty members worked and discharged their regular duties (including teaching, academic meetings and other administrative activities) while denying themselves food for a day. So, there was NO strike.
b) This manner of collectively expressing deep concern is in no way undignified and in fact enhances IITs reputation regarding discipline, restraint and commitment to duty.
i) Faculty attrition rate
ii) There is virtually no attrition of faculty members in the IITs.
iii)
a) Faculty attrition rates have been low indeed, mainly because of the flexible cadre structure, which motivates faculty members to perform excellently and hope to reach the highest level in due time.
b) In regards recent recruitment exercises, rejection of appointment offers has been worrisome. The rejections seem to have been influenced by the “pull” from industry/other Institutions combined with the “push” of the IIT pay scales and service conditions.
c) The proposed pay scales, which alter the flexible cadre structure, will lead to higher attrition rates and rejection of appointment offers.
i) 40% limit for Professors with AGP 12000
[Stan edit: ii) and iii) are cross-posted as myth and response respectively]
a) IIT Professors do not want to be evaluated. ----
Response: IIT Professors are in favour of performance evaluation by academic committees appointed by the Board of Governors.
b) This is an incentive to promote excellence at the highest levels. Response: This is in fact a disincentive. Some Professors among the remaining 60%, despite fulfilling the specified stringent performance norms, will have to wait until vacancies arise.
c) This condition for IIT Professors is far less restrictive than for their counterparts in other Institutions.
Response: There should be no such cap in any University/ Institution in India.
• The cap contradicts the time-tested system practised over five decades in IITs.
• Incentives, if any, should be offered outside the pay-structure.
• 40% cap is a blatant infringement on the autonomy of the system.
i) At least 10% of the total faculty strength should be recruited at the level of Asst. Prof. on contract
ii) and iii)
a) At entry level, this 10% condition will promote high quality. Response: Entry level and career pay scales are not sufficient to attract high quality, young faculty members. This 10% condition is again an infringement on the autonomy of the IITs in regards faculty recruitment norms.
b) If any faculty member is hired directly as Asst. Prof. and he is not found to be good, he cannot be removed and hence he has to come through the contract route.
Response: Faculty members in the IITs spend at least one year on probation at every level (Asst. Prof., Assoc. Prof. and Prof.) when their appointment could be cancelled. This accounts for quality. It seems that only in IITs, faculty members should go through a contract stage of 3 years as Assistant Professor before gaining a regular/ permanent position.
i) Career Advancement
ii) An IIT faculty member can become a Professor in 6 years, while in UGC it takes about 15 years
iii) It is a wrong comparison.
• In UGC, a person with a Bachelors/Masters degree is eligible to join as a regular Assistant Professor and be eligible for promotion to the post of Professor in a minimum period of 16 years through career progression after obtaining the required additional educational qualifications while in service.
• Under the proposed terms, a person takes additional 5-7 years to obtain a Ph.D., joins IIT as Asst. Prof. on contract, and then takes a minimum of 10 more years to become Professor (3 years as Asst. Prof. on contract, 3 years as Asst. Prof. and 4 years as Assoc. Prof.).
• Hence, a faculty member in IIT would take a minimum of 15-17 years after Bachelor’s/Master’s degree to become Professor, while a UGC faculty member would take 16 years after Bachelor’s/Master’s – not much of a difference.
i) Engineering and Social Sciences faculty: Differences in pay?
ii) Engineering faculty demand higher salary than Social sciences faculty
iii) IITs have uniform pay structure for their Humanities, Social Sciences, Management, Basic Sciences and Engineering faculty and no change was demanded.
i) Development of research facilities
ii) IITs do not generate their own funds
iii) IITs generate majority of funds for development of research facilities through Research Projects sponsored by MHRD, DST, DAE, ISRO, CSIR, DRDO, ARDB, etc., Alumni and foreign governments. For example, IIT Madras generated more than Rs.65 crores during 2008-2009 for research.
i) Earnings through Consultancy
ii) IIT faculty earn lakhs of rupees by consultancy and salary is only icing on the cake
iii) Only very few IIT faculty, who are experts in some sectors experiencing massive economic growth (like infrastructure), earn substantial money through consultancy, which they offer voluntarily rather than mandatorily. Many faculty members do not have sufficient opportunities for consulting because of their respective academic disciplines. Therefore all faculty members cannot be mandatorily required to earn a part of their salary through consultancy.
There are two kinds of projects:
a) Consultancy Projects: Only 20-25% of overall annual funds are generated through consultancy. A significant portion of the budget is earmarked for equipment and a small portion is charged as consultancy fee. While the Institutions get a fairly significant portion of consultancy fees as overheads, the faculty get only about half.
b) Sponsored Research Projects: These contribute to a major part of the funds brought in by the faculty members, do not contribute to their personal income.
i) Nobel Prize
ii) IIT faculty members should come up with a road map to produce Nobel laureates
iii)
a) No one can possibly prepare roadmaps for winning Nobel Prizes, and more so higher technical institutions in developing countries mandated to produce high quality human resources for national self-reliance.
b) Institutions producing Noble Prize winners are provided enormous flexibility and state-of-the-art research infrastructure facilities and involve limited teaching responsibilities. In contrast, IITs blend teaching with research and have fulfilled their mandate many times over by producing both high quality human resources and world-class research with limited infrastructure facilities and with limited scope for expansion.
c) Many IIT faculty members have earned and continue to earn the highest respect of their peers across the world in academia and industry.
d) The massive impacts of IITians and the IIT system can be learnt from http://www.ibef.org/artdisplay.aspx?cat ... t_id=21226
i) Five Year Plan
ii) IITs should have a Vision and set five year goal posts
iii) IITs do work with a vision and long term plans which are presented in print and their websites. IITs do have annual as well as medium and long-term goals. In all the IITs, the Directors evolve these through the involvement of faculty members and stakeholders.
http://www.vpmthane.org/AFAIK, institutions that are privately funded (like BITS, Pilani) are not under quota system. Atleast that used to be the case, I don't know if it still is that way.Masaru wrote: Is it not true that unless an institution has significant public funding GoI policies don't apply?
Do private universities currently have to subscribe to the quota system?
Is it not DDMities to assume that
reservation laws apply means quotas are enforced?
There are takers for these in US/ UKTanaji wrote:^^^^ Post graduate Diploma in Library Automation and Networking? WTF???
The eligibility criteria for appearing in the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) entrance test will be raised from the present 60 per cent to more than 80 per cent marks secured in Class XII Board examination. The revised criteria will be applicable from 2011.
.The average salary level is 70-80 lacs per annum....and what about beating the system once inside massa schoolsBade wrote:^^^^ No bigg deal...replace one set of mugging strategies with another set. The BTech nanha jihadis with their grooming parents will adapt to this system too. The whole indic concept of education is to beat the system, be it local or getting in to massa schools for higher education. We are like this onlee...
I am not surprised at all. I was in small city Vijayawada my uncle's son doing some EAMCET/IIT JEE exams. i seen the grinding classes students in droves for tutions/griding machines. Most of the lectures has already a day job in govt/pvt college this is side business. Avg. student study 16-18 hours spending grinding same materieal again and again. Until he gets the answers correct. Pity of these lakhs of students never ever ever spent 1/2 hour in chemistry lab. Lab marks can be bought. Every student spneds 5000 rs per tution * avg. about 1000 +plus govt. pvt college fee+special summar crash cources. Easily 50 lacs per annum tax free salary. Grinding classes will not develop any kind of logical skill they may get 100% in maths. But never ever ever could relate simple derivate equation to real world problem.Vipul wrote:Just read a report that some of the coaches in the top Prep/training institutes for clearing IIT-JEE's are getting 2 Crores Pa
stupid idea IMO. they want more rote learners I guess. or want to check lesser number of answer sheets perhaps.negi wrote:IIT aspirants must score more in Class XII
The eligibility criteria for appearing in the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) entrance test will be raised from the present 60 per cent to more than 80 per cent marks secured in Class XII Board examination. The revised criteria will be applicable from 2011.
Not sure if it will mean lesser answer sheets. The increase from 60% to 80% minimum is for PCM only. And it is implemented at the time of admissions where you have to show your Class XII marksheet. But the increase will not necessarily improve the quality of the students as they will have to mug/rote learn more for the XII as well to get the minimum cutoff. This seems to be another hare brained ideasRahul M wrote:stupid idea IMO. they want more rote learners I guess. or want to check lesser number of answer sheets perhaps.negi wrote wrote:IIT aspirants must score more in Class XII
The eligibility criteria for appearing in the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) entrance test will be raised from the present 60 per cent to more than 80 per cent marks secured in Class XII Board examination. The revised criteria will be applicable from 2011.
There are coaching classes for class 7 and 8 students which train them for the entrance exams of the above mentioned coaching classes. IIT coaching has been a huge industry in the recent years.negi wrote:
In past decade or so the craze for IITs caught up with everyone, one saw a spurt in the number of coaching classes throughout India and with stakes rising with every passing year students started preparing for JEE as early as possible some even from class IXth onwards .Then some of the coaching classes which found a lot of success started having entrance tests for coaching students itself.
What? No giving Rs.2 to the talati? I was at least expecting a jury system that would set the papers, and with anyone having the right to recall any particular question by giving Rs. 2 to the talati. All questions to be posted on PMO website of course...Rahul Mehta wrote:Here is a TRIVIAL way to make examination papers which will preserve the value of learning and reduce the importance of coaching :
1. Say syllabus consists of 50 chapters such as Linear Equations, Quadratic Equations, Calculus etc. Make questions which involve formulae/concepts of at least 3 different chapters.
2. Do not repeat questions from past 10 years of papers
3. Re-introduce Geometry in JEE syllabus. Geometry can be learned and taught, but cant be coached.
.
Now you know why so much angst against the Kota system among IIT faculty in recent years. First, when the coaching was small scale (Aggarwal & Brilliant classes) in my time and 4 big metros infiltrated the IITs it was all peace and harmony and quality. Many were wards of the faculty themselves among the top rankers, propagating the myth of high standards and quality entrants to the IITs. All was bogus largely. If you had sent the same top entrants to other engg colleges, they would have done equally well in real life...massa higher education...entrepreneurship and all.While a lot has been written about how senior IIT faculty earn half the salary that their freshly minted students do, here's a shocker:
faculty at some of India's well-known IIT coaching classes earn a whopping Rs 2 crore per annum. That's 50 to 100 times more than the compensation for IIT teachers.
Now that balloon stands deflated and the branding associated with that. To top it the guys who broke the harmonious system, makes more than the brand keepers.Bade wrote: Now you know why so much angst against the Kota system among IIT faculty in recent years.
...
But, this Kota system has broken the myth of JEE as some genius filter never invented ever before since the dawn of civilization.
First, when the coaching was small scale (Aggarwal & Brilliant classes) in my time and 4 big metros infiltrated the IITs it was all peace and harmony and quality. Many were wards of the faculty themselves among the top rankers, propagating the myth of high standards and quality entrants to the IITs. All was bogus largely.
. Bogus largely or not depends on track-record too no?! Take a look at the track-record of the people from the system when the system was more or less decent, sure some smart cookies may have gotten discarded by the system, but if they were smart they would have done well despite being left out no?! The problems in the system started when it became a mass hysteria and a social status mark. All that came into being not because of some bogus or bunkum. People went out, created value and brought brand-name and the scumbags and the louts that come in today dont even want to get a postgrad education, let alone do a pachadi. Even in maasa, asst profs in my field make anywhere from 50-85k whereas fresh out pachadis can make anywhere from 70-120k. While a full professor can make anywhere from 90-140 + icing of his own, experienced pachadis can make anywhere from 130-180 + IP cake + profit sharing etc. In India, are professors getting paid as per cost of living esp wrt what the fresh-out undergrads who go to it-vity make? A fresh out undergrad from iit (from my hearsay in those days) could make around 50k pm while a full professor minus HRA and CCA makes around 55k pm today after 6th pc upgrade. Sure, the house in a posh national forest is icing on the cake, but undergrads after 4 yrs of fuddu education can whip the backside of profs with 10 yrs+ experience. If takleef had been the issue, then everyone would have quit the system and gone to it-vity. Now throwing these magic numbers of JEE coaching payscales and saying that profs inside the system should feel takleef is like clutching at straws.Now that balloon stands deflated and the branding associated with that. To top it the guys who broke the harmonious system, makes more than the brand keepers.
Saar, which world are you in? Most people put in 18 hrs consistently for coaching. This is hearsay from ages back, I am sure the guy who told me this meant it seriously and not as a joke. The good side of Super-30 has been reported, but the fact remains that folks who go in pre-Super-30 are sharp, but dont have deep basics. The process of changing them cannot be magic, it is sheer hard work. Sure, I will respect hard work, but that much hard work at that age kills the enthu level completely. Overdrive and premature death...Singha wrote:I believe the coaching classes run 6 days a week and for around 8-10 hrs a day of classes, plus people also study on their own before turning in early. a monk would be ashamed of
his debauched life compared to some of these kids.
http://kotaconsultants.wordpress.com/As such no school syllabus teaches you to think along lines of competitive exams. For that you have to join a coaching class and today, Bansal’s is the most preferred. Why? Because in all 1538 Bansal students got selected in IITs in the year 2007. The secret of their success is ‘pre selection’. Admission to Bansal classes is based on an entrance exam after class 10.
There are 2 exams – the first is around April 15th, just after the 10th Boards. This exam is called ‘Bullseye’. The second entrance is in the first week of June. This exam is called ‘Acme’. It is better to give the first exam, as you will have a 2 month advantage and also, first batch students get the better teachers. Second exam is of course an option for people who have missed the first one. Majority of students who make it to Bansal’s are from CBSE or ICSE board. In my time barely 2 students from state board made it! But even for CBSE students the Chemistry portion is tough as what we are taught in school is not enough. Yes, there are 15 day crash courses to help you get into Bansal classes such as ‘Garg classes’. Not only do they coach you for the Bansal test, they teach you 2-3 chapters of their study material so you can score better in the first few weekly tests. Yup, it’s one hell of a competitive environment.
You see the ‘merit rank’ that you get in Bansal entrance determines which batch you get. The top rankers are part of the ‘elite’ batches which get the best teachers. Of course the ranking has to be maintained by your performance in weekly tests. You get a cumulative ranking based on scores of past and present tests. Those who scored less in the entrance and therefore got a lower batch do have a chance to move up.
But in general, the elite batches have an edge. The catch is you don’t know what rank you’ve got until you’ve paid your fees in full. By which time it’s a fait accompli.
Aspirants can take heart from the 2007 topper Achin Bansal. He is a fresher who joined in S4 batch, which is one of the lowest. But he worked his way up to A1 batch by class 12. It’s rare, but it can happen!
The Grind
There are two kinds of students – freshers and ‘droppers’. Freshers are those attempting JEE for the first time, droppers are those who are repeating a year to give it again. Some join Bansal’s dropper batch directly and for them there is an entrance test called ‘Sterling’. In the past people would drop upto 3-4 years and keep trying for JEE. Often they repeated to get a better rank. But with the new rules you can only give JEE twice. In class 11 – which consists of ‘freshers’ , the topper batch is P1, followed by P2 and so on upto P6. At the next rung are batches Q1 to Q6, similarly R and then S (upto S6). That is 24 batches of freshers in all. Then you have an additional 9 batches who join through the 2nd test are numbered from J1 to J9. In 12th standard the batches are numbered A1, A2 and so on with A1 being the cream of the class. Before 2007, more droppers used to get selected than freshers. Now that you can’t keep giving JEE, the ratio has improved.47% of selections were freshers and 53% were droppers. Among freshers, most of those selected were from the top 6 batches ie A1 to A7. In batches after that only 2-3 students got selected. There are 75 students in every batch.
Fresher classes start at 2-2.30 pm because officially morning is ’school timing’. Of course no one attends school, we use that time to do homework of ‘DPPs’ (Daily Practice Problems). The toughness of these problems rises to maddening heights. Of course now that JEE pattern has changed solving these problems is not so important, now many students don’t take them as seriously. Droppers have no school issue – they study all day. Classes start at 8 am, batches are named X, Y and Z
The Teaching
The main thing is mental toughness and keeping yourself motivated. If you fall behind, you fall behind. You may be lucky and find a sympathetic teacher but mostly you’re on your own. There are all kinds of teachers. For example there was a Physical Chemistry teacher who was a 25 yr old Chem Engineer from IIT Bombay. He was rumoured to earn Rs 1 lakh a month and they’d also given him a Tata Scorpio. Last heard he had left Bansals to pursue a course in fashion design having obtained an AIR 2 in a national level entrance exam. (yeah, ironic isn’t it!) Also one of the ‘maverick’ but good teachers, like Mr.Narendra Awasthi aka “Sodium” who taught Physical Chem has left (current whereabouts not known). Mr Jeevan Jyothi Agrawal aka “JJ Sir”,an excellent and extremely committed Maths teacher as well as a good human being, has left to teach at “Allen’s”, a very famous medical coaching institute at Kota. He was the one from whom I received max guidance during my 3 yr stint. So quality of teachers and teaching keeps changing. Teaching method is quite informal. There is an a/c in the class but it’s never switched on. It’s only a showpiece. Also, the original Mr Bansal only teaches Maths. His brother manages the admin.
A roaring business
When I gave the Bansal exam in 2004, 5000 students took the test. Of which 2000 got in. Now they are taking in more students. Currently there would be around 10,000 students in Bansal classes. Of which 2800 would be ‘droppers’, 3000 would be the class 12 fresher batch and rest would be class 11 freshers (3800 or so in number). Earlier there were 75 students in a batch.Now we have 85 to 90 in the topper batches and 120 to 150 in lower batches. They have 2 buildings in which classes are held. The new one has classrooms where 150 students can be seated. When I joined 2 years back the fees per year were Rs 35,000 p.a.. Then it became Rs 50,000. Now it is Rs 60,000. Which means an estimated turnover of Rs 60 crores. Two years ago their official turnover was Rs 18 crores. And I forgot, they have a correspondence course called ‘Locus’ as well.
Bansal’s main centre is Kota – that’s where close to 1400 of the 1538 selections are from. There are only two ‘branches’ – Jaipur and Ajmer. Of these Jaipur is bigger and more preferred (had 154 selections vs 8 in Ajmer). Jaipur and Ajmer branches are generally offered to those who don’t make it to Kota. Incidentally, the 1538 selections includes 60 SC/ ST students as well. Bansal selection break up: top 100 JEE ranks: 32 students top 1000 JEE ranks: 250 students rest rank far lower. My rank was 4800, there were 860 Bansal students above me, Of course at 4800 I had no chance of admission to an IIT. I eventually joined BITS Goa. The only other JEE coaching class of any repute in Kota is Resonance. They take in 10,000 students and boast of 800 selections but there are hardly any in the top JEE ranks. Also only about 450 of the selections would be through classroom coaching, rest are people who are in Bansal or other classes but took up one test series from Resonance. Most students give both Bansal and Resonance entrance tests and prefer Bansal if they get both. Resonance tries to lure you by offering scholarships. They have a hostel called ‘Lakshya’ where they offer some of the toppers a free stay, provided they keep up their performance. Resonance has hardly any selections in the top 100 but many in the top 1000 (includes both classroom and test series). There are also institutes like Career Point and Insight. There are barely 300 girls at Bansal classes. ie around 8-9 per batch. The front row is reserved for them.
There are a lot of students in Kota from UP and Bihar. Mr V K Bansal is not very pleased with the Bihar students. A couple of years ago they burst a rassi bomb in one of the toilets, But it must be said Biharis are generally intelligent, good in Maths.
Life in Kota
Bansal does not have any hostel facility. This means booming business for private hostels and PGs. A room close to Bansal can cost Rs 4000 p.m. And this is a tiny room converted from a kitchen. You can get a better room in Vigyan nagar for Rs 2000-2500 p.m. and Talwandi for Rs 1500 p.m. But living in Talwandi wastes time as you have to cross a highway and the signal does not work there. Yeah, every minute counts! Hostels are more or less the same. They charge Rs 6000 p.m. for lodging, food, washing clothes. Food starts out ok then deteriorates.Many survive on Maggi – they keep a gas in the room. There is a hot water problem in winter. Often the solar panels don’t work. Then people skip baths or heat water with a rod. On Sundays the mess has a holiday. The only decent restaurant close by is Eatos. Many prefer to eat at thelawalas or then at places like Saat Handi, Maheshwari etc further away. There is a new trend where sometimes mothers come and stay with the kids to ensure they have no ‘food problems’ and can concentrate on studies!. Bicycle theft (from landlord’s homes, hostels and even parking lots of coaching institutes with security guards is a very common phenomenon). Students are therefore advised to buy second hand bicycles only which are readily available everywhere. Then there is the issue of attending ’school’ . Most people join DAV public school – they actually ask for your Bansal admit card at the time of admission. Of their 400 class 12 students, 350 are from Bansal. Of course they are phantom students and they populate imaginary divisions. We only go for practicals once in a while. You wake up in 12th class around Jan-Feb and cram for exams. Occassionally there are CBSE ‘raids’. But you generally come to know in advance and rush to school, complete the books etc. Another school called ‘IL’ was raided and shut down Now the school is derecognised but Bansal has taken over the building and holds classes there! Due to these raids no CBSE school is ready to give fraudulent admissions so people are now opting for Rajasthan Board or National Open School. Perseverance is most important. Living in Kota on your own, many deviate from studies also. There are lots of net cafes, pool and gaming parlours. The non serious types spend 2 years doing masti, roaming on their bikes and bunking classes.
Other Coaching Classes
In Hyderabad Ramaiah is the most sought after class. They take 150 students, of which 130 students clear JEE. They have stringent rules, including studies from 4 am! Classes like FIIT JEE and Brilliant’s are known more for correspondence material than classroom now. Even Bansal students join so names overlap in the list published by different classes. Mention must also be made of Vidyamandir Classes based in Delhi. It is run by three brothers and takes in the creme-la-creme of students in Delhi and adjoining areasn.The focus is mostly on self study and classes are held only twice a week for which students come from as far as Faridabad. The entrance test is the toughest of any JEE coaching institute in India as they want students who can do everything on their own. 140 out of 160 VMC students clear JEE every year. For those who don’t make it, their study material is freely available in the market for couple of 1000 bucks. But obviously with all these classes it’s more about PRE-selecting students who are likely to succeed.
And here’s a newsflash: At the end of the day IITs call upto JEE rank 7200 for counselling and classes can claim all of these as ’selected’ candidates. The last decent course ends around rank 3500. Therefore the numbers claimed as ’successful candidates’ by classes is far higher than those who actually get IIT seats.
Another point to note: One disadvantage of studying at Bansal is you can’t compete for your home state colleges. Your ‘home state’ becomes Rajasthan as that is where you gave your board exam. So getting into a good college through AIEEE score (where state rank is considered) is next to impossible. Lastly, in the last one year Bansal’s has increased theintake substantially. The toppers come there anyways, there’s no harm in admitting more and letting them live the dream. Why give other coaching classes any business?
This article is based on the personal experience of a student who spent 3 years at Bansal classes (2004-7).
Here’s the perspective of another aspirant:
“I travelled all the way from Guwahati to Kota with just Rs. 2,000/- in my pocket and a cheque for 18,000/- in the name of Bansal classes. I had cleared the screening with rank 4300, and expected them to welcome me with arms wide open. Instead, I was asked: “How dare you ask about accomodation assistance? First show your screening card, 12th marksheet, 10th marksheet… then we’ll think about admitting you”. And all this while I was thinking that I was the customer here. I lost my temper, and joined Resonance out of spite. At least they were polite. But even there I couldn’t take it for more than a month. Bad food, no sleep, depressing environment, no friends (everyone crams 15-16 hours a day). I quit and came back home. And I’m glad I did that. I studied on my own. Didn’t make to an IIT but got 20th rank in my state and made it to a good NIT. At least I’m a normal human being today. I can’t imagine why parents let their children go through so muchpain at such a young age. I’ll never do this to my kids”
The indic version of this social network is kuom/tribe/clan and family onlee first. I know many non-indian profs or national lab permanent scientific staff whose kids did not desire or were not pushed to propagate their academic 'gothram' like indics do with theirs even in America. Many of the kids of these massa academics are not even doing as well as their parents, professionally or even financially. I never understood this egalitarianism among Americans when compared to Indics.Profs + kids in iit combo is not something to be surprised about. Take any hi-falutin person and see his/her kid, his/her kid will be doing fine. If not in the education sector, they will be doing fine. That is the power of the social network.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_30Tanaji wrote:What is Super -30?
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