Foreign universities and Indian Institute(s) of Technology (IITs) were pitted against each other on Monday, on the fifth foundation day of IIT-Patna, as the students put their oratory skills to the test.

First- and second-year students of IIT-Patna engaged their skills in a healthy discussion on “Influx of foreign universities vs development of IITs”. The participants, who formed six teams of two, chose the two ends of the topic.

Members of one team battled it out with each other on the merits of focusing on infrastructure development of the IITs against the “excellent” teaching standard of foreign institutes.

Another student, championing the entry of foreign institutes in India, stressed that it was important for prestigious institutes like Cambridge or Oxford to enter India. The student went on to win the discussion with his team member, who focused on the higher quality of the IITs’ infrastructure, faculty and placement.

Udhay Shankar, a second-year electrical engineering student, teamed up with first-year mechanical engineering student Ankita Paliwal.

Stressing on the needs to develop indigenous institutions like the IITs, Udhay said: “Educational infrastructure at the IITs should be strengthened with focus on research and infrastructure development. The institutions have proved their mettle and are no less than other foreign universities in terms of academics. IIT passouts now hold top positions in many companies.”

Ankita said: “The number of students studying in IITs or good government engineering institutions is less. The students who fail to enter IITs or good government institutions are often left with no other option but to knock on the doors of private institutions. These colleges not only charge exorbitant fees from the students but their teaching module is also below expectation.

“If foreign universities are allowed entry in India, their fees might be more than most Indian universities but their quality of education would be excellent,” she added.

The winner of the discussion, called a debate competition by the IIT-Patna authorities, was the team of first-year computer science student Vaibhav Pandey and first-year electrical engineering student Shashank Singh.

Judging all the six teams of the day were National Institute of Technology, Patna, director Asok De, Magadh University teacher Sangita Lal and IIT-Patna faculty member Nalin Bharti.

The students and faculty members also took part in a blood donation camp and planted around 90 saplings around the campus.

Professor S.K. Dube from the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, IIT-Delhi, delivered a lecture on “Is climate changing” at the foundation day celebrations.