63 students failed in IITs in last session: Smriti Irani

New Delhi, Dec 21: Sixty-three students failed to secure the prescribed minimum grade in six Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) during 2014-15 session, Lok Sabha was informed on Monday.

Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani provided this information in response to a written question in Lok Sabha about whether students have been expelled from various IITs on the ground of poor performance.

"The IITs have a rigorous academic system that prescribes minimum grades to be obtained by the students for continuation in the IIT system. During the year 2014-15, a total of 63 students in undergraduate courses have failed to secure the prescribed minimum grade in 6 IITs," Irani said.

Out of the failed students 8 were from General category, 9 from OBC, 16 and 30 from Scheduled Caste (SC) and 16 from Scheduled Tribe (ST) category respectively.

"The IIT Council has discussed the matter and implemented a system called Peer group Assisted Learning (PAL) to handhold students who are socially and educationally backward," she added.

In an unprecedented action by any IIT, the institute at Roorkee had in July this year expelled 73 students whose performance was not up to the mark after their first-year of the BTech programme.

A group of 64 students had moved Uttarkhand High Court against the decision, but the court had upheld the institute's decision.

However, the institute reinstated the students in August this year as a "one-time measure" and said they will be on an academic probation throughout the year and have been re-admitted on strict conditions.

The students were taken back on the condition that they will also have to repeat the year and will be bound to clear again all the courses of both autumn and spring semesters of the first year, besides maintaining a minimum attendance of 75 per cent in every subject.

PTI