Most IITs and almost all engineering colleges in India segregate their institute into departments based on fields of specialisation. Some institutes like IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, VJTI, etc even have separate buildings for each department, to avoid any clash in resources. However, IIT Gandhinagar (IITGn) has eliminated the department system altogether, to boost inter disciplinary academics and research. IITGn has no HODs, no separate buildings, only professors who are in charge of specific disciplines. The institute insists on each discipline working in collaboration with each other. Although, there may be arguements that this system has created mismanagement and confusion amongst the disciplines.
Since its inception in 2008, IITGn has followed this system of absence
of departmentalisation. According to Prof Jaison Manjali, Student Affairs Dean,
IITGn, “The reason behind having this system is to allow students and
professors to take up courses and research in disciplines other than their own
specializations. The system is also a symbol of unity among students across all
disciplines.” Ajinkya Jain, a student of IITGn, says, “Many students who go
abroad for their internship take up research in other disciplines. We also have
a course projects where in students can take up projects in any
subject/department and chose a faculty mentor from that discipline.”
The IITGn management also insists that this system reduces unnecessary
replication of facilities. A limited amount of resources like apparatus,
machinery, chemicals, etc. can be purchased and shared by students across all
disciplines. Thus the institute also benefits from the cost efficiency of the
system.
Like other IITs, students at IITGn also take up elective or minors
courses in subjects outside their regular curriculum. However, in IITGn,
these electives are not divided among departments like the humanities or social
studies departments. In fact, they are simply called open electives or honour
degrees. Another student of IITGn, who refused to be named, says, “This system removes
the hurdles in applying to interdisciplinary courses, since there is no extra
application process to go through.”
However, what happens when students complain about mismanagement due to the
absence of HODs? Does the current system fails to put a check on overusage of
resources like lab apparatus, technology, etc in one department by students
from another department. According to Prof Suman Pal, Student Affairs Dean,
IIT Mandi, “This kind of system may be marginally effective for those pursuing
interdisciplinary studies. Otherwise, the idea of unity or resource conservation among disciplines can
be achieved through departmentalisation also.”
The deans and professors are by far not very concerned with the issue of
inter disciplinary resource consumption. Prof Manjaly says, “Students can
schedule their visits to the lab so as to avoid any clash in timings or
resource use.” He is of the view that when students work together in the same
labs, they also learn to experiment using perspectives from different fields.
As long as students have adequate space and resources to conduct their
experiments, the system has does not pose any flaw or glitch to the students.