Ensuring the well-being of students, improving the perception of the institute, and enhancing infrastructure are the priorities of Suman Chakraborty, the new full-term director of IIT Kharagpur.

Chakraborty formally took over as director of the IIT on Monday afternoon, succeeding Amit Patra, who had been serving as the acting director.

Chakraborty spoke to The Telegraph about his plans.

Student well-being

With three student deaths on campus in the past six months, there is an urgent need to ensure student well-being, Chakraborty said.

“We need to find out what the students are upset about. They take extreme steps only when they are unhappy. We have to take care of their well-being through a human approach, assisted by the latest technologies,” he said.

The deaths of the three BTech students on campus have raised questions about the lack of a robust institutional mechanism to prevent such tragedies.

On May 10, the institute formed a 10-member committee to probe the spate of deaths and recommend measures to ensure student well-being. The committee was formed after the mother and brother of Aniket Walkar, one of the three deceased students, wrote to acting director Patra urging the formation of a panel.

“We will try to reach out to students and have a close interaction with them. If we can address their grievances, the problem could be contained to a large extent,” Chakraborty said.

Improving perception

The IIT Kharagpur administration must make every effort to improve the institute’s public image, which in turn will help attract bright students, the new director said.

Chakraborty said the institute will form a committee to seek recommendations on improving the IIT’s public perception.

The professor of mechanical engineering at the institute said: “A poor perception is coming in the way of attracting top-notch rankers in JEE Advanced to the country’s oldest IIT. We are forming a committee comprising former students and academics to suggest how we can improve this perception. If we can enhance our image, bright students will be drawn to IIT Kharagpur.”

To attract top students, IIT Kharagpur introduced the Pandit Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar Scholarship in August 2021. The scholarship covers tuition, relocation, and hostel expenses for students who rank among the top 100 in the JEE Advanced merit list.

Students must clear the JEE Advanced test to get admission to the IITs.

However, the situation has not improved much.

“I believe that if we can improve our perception, students will choose IIT Kharagpur over others, regardless of whether we offer the scholarship. I support the scholarship, as it helps students from disadvantaged backgrounds. But improving perception is key to attracting the best students. We will act on the committee’s recommendations,” said Chakraborty, a former dean of research initiatives at IIT Kharagpur.

Infrastructure

Chakraborty, an alumnus of Jadavpur University, said the IIT administration will work to expand hostel capacity on the residential campus.

The institute had to suspend admissions to the PhD programme in October 2023 due to a lack of adequate accommodation.

“We will build more hostels and ensure that students are provided with quality living facilities,” said Chakraborty.