IITs are apex institutions for engineering education and research, and owe their existence to the visionary leadership of India’s first Prime Minister, late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
The history of the IIT system dates back to 1946 when Sir Jogendra Singh of the Viceroy's Executive Council set up a committee with the task of considering the creation of Higher Technical Institutions for post-war industrial development in India. The twenty-two member committee, headed by Nalini Ranjan Sarkar, recommended the establishment of those institutions in various parts of India, with affiliated secondary institutions.
The idea was to ‘provide scientists and technologists of the highest caliber who would engage in research, design and development to help building the nation towards self-reliance in her technological needs’.
The main objective of IITs is to impart world-class training in engineering and technology, and to conduct research in the relevant fields for advancement of learning and dissemination of knowledge.
At present, there are sixteen Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) at Bombay, Delhi, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras, Guwahati, Roorkee, Hyderabad, Patna, Bhubaneshwar, Ropar, Jodhpur, Gandhinagar, Indore, Mandi, and BHU Varanasi.
The first Indian Institute of Technology was established in 1951 at Kharagpur, followed by IIT Bombay (1958), IIT Madras (1959), IIT Kanpur (1959) and IIT Delhi (1961).
The quality of teaching and research in IITs is of international standards. The Institutes are continuously evaluating and modifying curricula as per the emerging trends in the industry. They also contribute to updating the knowledge of faculty of other Engineering Colleges through Quality Improvement Programmes.
For admission in IITs, candidates have to appear in IIT entrance exam in two levels - Joint Entrance Exam: JEE Main and JEE Advanced. It is mandatory to qualify in both the exams to compete for seats and specialization preferences which is conducted by the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA).
Indian
Institutes of Technology
