"When a student is ready, the teacher will appear" is a saying that has been alternatively attributing to Gautama Buddha and Theosophists. But in Indian education system, it seems like things are not happening in Buddhas or Theosophists way. An acute shortage of faculty members is hampering the technical education. Private engineering colleges across the country are pulling on with half the teaching strength it requires. Premier national institutes are also not in a better place. The average faculty shortage in IITs is 32 percent, while it is 31 percent in IIITs, 22 percent at IIMs and 25 percent in NITs. Various reports show that only six out of 16 IITs have met the guideline of 10:1 student to faculty ratio. Surprisingly, all the six are among the eight new IITs started in 2008. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
Lack of teachers will lead to lack of attention on the students and an eventual dilution in the overall quality of education. Even when the country's education leaders talk volumes about enhancing the research activities to gain global reputation, little is often done towards creating a faculty pool on the ground level. Therefore, we can say, Indian engineering education is clearly at a crossroad where on one side, there is a proliferation of engineering colleges, while on the other there is sheer lack of quality teachers.
Striving for a better future, we at SiliconIndia Education has released the latest edition of 'Top 100 Engineering Colleges,' an exercise that we have been conducting since past six years. On the cover, we have featured Sandip Foundation, an institute that has been producing innovative professionals who can drive towards nation's growth.