Exchange Programmes at IIT KGP to Improve International Ranking

IIT Kharagpur, with an aim to improve its international ranking, is inviting foreign faculty and students and Nobel Laureates to its campus every year. 10 Australian students and one International faculty had participated in each of the 19 short-term courses in the First International Summer and Winter Term (ISWT) at IIT Kharagpur that has just ended in July.

The subjects for ISWT are planned around current multi-disciplinary themes pertaining to science, management, engineering and law. Each course runs for two weeks or 10 working days and the programmes roll in lectures and tutorials each day.

5 Japanese students from a Tokyo University and at least 10 foreign faculty are expected to participate in the Winter Season at IIT Kharagpur. Professor Rolf Drechsler from the University of Bremen, Germany, who was one of the summer term participants, has already agreed to be an international visiting faculty at the IIT.

Dean of Alumni and International Relations at IIT KGP, Siddhartha Mukhopadhyay said, “We are encouraging our students and faculty members to visit foreign universities and inviting foreign students and faculty members to our campus to improve our international ranking.” The student and faculty exchange programmes will be a regular feature at IIT Kharagpur now. For this, government funds and generous alumni donations are being used.

Smriti Irani, Union HRD Minister, is impressed by this initiative and has asked IIT Kharagpur to make a blueprint to launch these summer-winter lectures by the best national and international faculty at the national level. This can be adopted by other institutes too. This blueprint is expected to be presented to President Pranab Mukherjee next month.