'I WANT TO REDUCE SO THAT STUDENTS THE COST CAN MAKE CAREER CHOICES FREELY'

The Birla Institutes of Technology and Science (BITS) will see changes in the curriculum, set up a diversified financial model, and launch dual degrees in collaboration with foreign universities. Former director of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, V Ramgopal Rao, recently became the group vice-chancellor of BITS Pilani, Hyderabad, Goa, Mumbai and Dubai.

- Pritha Roy Choudhury

He spoke about engaging BITS alumni, the collaboration with RMIT University Australia, curriculum change, and efforts to ensure that fees and education loans don't restrict career choices. Edited excerpts below.

Q. What are your plans for these institutions?

A. In the private sector, BITS Pilani is the most trusted brand and is also an Institution of Eminence. It is a 60-yearold Institute. All norms here are like any older Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT). This has its own pros and cons. It's good in the sense that BITS has gained the trust that we associate with publicly-funded higher educational institutions. But this also means we are limited by all the restrictions of the government system. I don't call it negative but when I look at a private system like BITS, we need to take all the positives of a government system and also retain the flexibility of a private system. That's what we will have in mind as we move forward.

If you look at countries like the US, many top institutions there are privately-funded and there is a financial model and a certain way in which they have achieved that excellence. I think replicating that in India is urgently needed. This is something that I would like to accomplish - show how a privately-funded institution can be institution or as good as a government even better.

Q. Are you working on anything with specifically the students in mind?