During the 55th IITs Council meeting held in Bhubaneswar, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan directed the IITs to implement multiple entry and exit options as laid down in NEP 2020, as per media reports.

This measure aims to reduce student dropouts in IITs. The meeting also covered discussions regarding the introduction of a four-year BEd and Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP). Attendees included 23 IIT directors, senior officials from the Education Ministry, and the chairperson of UGC. While some IITs already offer an exit option for their BTech and PhD programs, they are hesitant to implement entry options due to potential negative impacts on teaching and learning outcomes.

Professor V Ramagopal Rao, Former Director IIT cautions that multiple entry options should not serve as backdoor entry points to IITs’ flagship programs, which could ultimately lower their brand value. The admission process at IITs is based on rank, and any infractions are heavily prosecuted. . While the implementation of multi-entry options is worth considering, caution should be exercised to ensure the quality of students who exit, so their competence in the job market remains viable and the IITs’ brand name remains unaffected.

According to Professor Apurba Kumar Sharma, the dean of academic affairs at IIT Roorkee, providing multiple entry and exit options for students is feasible among IITs, and exit options are already offered at various levels. However, implementing entry options requires essential course mapping to achieve equivalence with courses taught at other institutions. Additionally, a reasonable gap needs to be identified to give students entry into IIT courses, as an excessively long gap may change their orientation once they enroll in an academically rigorous system.

Professor Sharma states that the complete implementation of multiple entry and exit options would integrate all other higher education institutions (HEIs) with IITs, and would decrease dropout rates by providing students with greater freedom and flexibility to enroll or withdraw from courses according to their needs.