350 foreign academicians to teach under GIAN

More than 350 academicians from 38 countries are coming to teach in 68 Indian institutes under the national GIAN (Global Initiative of Academic Networks) programme.

“Almost 60 per cent of the courses are for non-IIT institutions. These include UGC, state universities, central universities, AICTE affiliated engineering colleges and management institutions,” IIT-Kgp director Prof P P Chakrabarti said.

The IIT has been selected as the national coordinator for collaborating with institutions like IITs, IIMs, IISc, NITs under GIAN.

More than 350 academicians from 38 countries are participating in this programme to teach 13 broad disciplines in 68 institutes, IIT officials said.

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has allocated Rs 35 crore for the project during the current financial year.

Prof NicoVerdonschot from University of Twente, Netherlands, who will be teaching one of the two inaugural courses, at IIT Kharagpur said, “Indian level of higher education and quality of faculty is very high but have modest position. Hence Indian universities must reach out to international faculty for knowledge sharing and best-in-class progress.”

MHRD’s additional secretary R Subhramanyam, who was here yesterday, said the ministry is in the process to inter-link GIAN with projects like IMPRINT, National Digital Library.

“MHRD will not control the courses to be taught and it is to be decided by the home institution proposing the course. Also MHRD is in favour of a dynamic variety in the approved courses ranging from science and technology to arts, social science, management,” he said.