ISM: Expanding horizons

Dhanbad, Dec. 14: Indian School of Mines is branching out.

A deemed university on a par with the Indian institutes of technology, the premier mining school has decided to introduce electrical engineering, M.Sc courses in physics, chemistry, oceanography and hydro-carbon science besides management studies, within the next few years.

To start with, said ISM director S.N Mukherjee, the college authorities have decided to introduce electrical engineering from the 2006-2007 academic session, after taking approval from the All India Council for Technical Education.

Established in 1926 and modelled after the Royal School of Mines, London, is globally known for excellence in mining engineering, the selection for which is done through the IIT entrance examination.

At present, the institute has a student strength of 1,150, which the authorities plan to raise by more than 800 within the next five years. The construction of new buildings will start shortly to accommodate the new students.

The proposal to start the MSc courses was sent to the board but has been kept pending as the authorities have decided to first develop infrastructure, like constructing hostels. ?Work on campus networking and total computerisation is going on. We want to provide the best and the latest in technology before we expand,? Mukherjee said.

Talking to The Telegraph in his office, the director said the school had to explore the possibilities of branching out as most students are opting for the more lucrative and cushy information technology sector. ?Our campus selection this year has been outstanding but most companies now want computer and electronics engineers,? he said.

For example, 10 of the 24 students in the mining engineering discipline were booked by Infosys and Virtusa Software at an average annual package of Rs 3 lakh this year. Only petroleum engineering students have stuck to the core sector with multinationals like Schlumberger booking the to-be graduates at a package as high as Rs 8 lakh per year.

Mukherjee admitted that the current crop of students is not interested in mining and geology, for which ISM is recognised for. ?Some of the best mining institutes in the UK and the US are on the verge of closure as the mining branch of engineering is losing its demand,? he said.

The institute, asserted its head, was bent on becoming one of the best technical schools in India and, therefore, it was imperative that it introduced more courses. ?The Union human resource department has been informed about the new courses that are to be introduced shortly at ISM but we want to provide the best facilities before we start,? Mukherjee said.

He said ISM would organise an international seminar on mineral processing technology on January 8 and 9. That would be followed by the first Indian Mineral Congress Exhibition, to be held from January 20 to 29, 2005.