Former IIT Delhi Director Suggests 5-Year BTech Programme at IITs, Cites Diverse Student Needs
Former IIT Delhi Director V Ramgopal Rao has suggested that IITs consider five-year BTech programmes to accommodate students with different academic backgrounds and learning speeds. Under his proposed model, students could graduate earlier if they complete the required credits, while others could use the fifth year for additional academic support.
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IIT BTech Programme: V Ramgopal Rao, Group Vice-Chancellor of BITS Pilani campuses and former Director of IIT Delhi, has suggested that the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) consider introducing five-year BTech programmes to address differences in students' academic backgrounds and learning pace.
Rao said the current “one-size-fits-all” approach followed across IITs may not adequately address the needs of highly diverse classrooms. He made the remarks while responding to the recent controversy involving IIT Bombay professor Suryanarayana Doola.
Rao Raises Concerns Over Diverse Classrooms
Rao said IIT classrooms now include students with widely varying JEE Advanced ranks and educational backgrounds. He cited the example of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) at IIT Delhi, where students with ranks ranging from single digits to five digits can study in the same classroom.
According to Rao, the transition from intensive entrance-exam coaching to independent learning can be challenging for students. He said coaching often prepares students to solve familiar question patterns quickly, while university-level education requires students to approach unfamiliar problems independently.
He also pointed out that language differences can add another layer of difficulty in classrooms.
‘Students Cannot Be Expected to Learn at the Same Pace’
Rao questioned whether students with significantly different academic backgrounds can reasonably be expected to learn at the same pace under a common teaching approach.
He said teaching too slowly could cause some students to lose interest, while moving too quickly could leave others struggling to keep up. He added that these challenges are not necessarily linked to any particular admission category.
“The move from coaching to independent learning can be hard for anyone,” Rao said.
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Proposed Five-Year BTech Model
As a possible solution, Rao suggested that IITs consider making BTech a five-year programme. Under the proposed model, students who complete the required credits could graduate in four years, or potentially even three-and-a-half years.
Students who require additional academic support could use the full five-year period. Rao suggested that such students could receive support through recorded lectures, online learning material and additional help with language and coursework.
He said the pace of completion should be determined by a student's performance at IIT rather than their admission category or JEE Advanced rank.
Five-Year Structure Could Reduce Stigma
Rao also said that formally designing the BTech programme as a five-year course could help avoid the stigma associated with students who need additional time.
Under such a system, students requiring five years would simply follow the programme as designed, while academically prepared students could complete their degree earlier.
Rao stressed that academic standards at IITs should remain unchanged. However, he said institutions also have a responsibility to provide students with the time and support required to meet those standards.
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Anjali is an education journalist with over a year of experience in digital and business journalism. She has previously worked with BW Businessworld and ANI, where she gained experience in news writing, editing, research, and fact-checking. At Jagran Josh, she writes education news and covers competitive exams and current affairs, with a keen interest in delivering accurate, informative, and reader-focused content. She holds a BA from Miranda House, University of Delhi, and a postgraduate diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC). Anjali enjoys reading and exploring new ideas and perspectives through books.
