IIT-M drives reform agenda at national leadership conclave

CHENNAI: Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) set the tone for a renewed push towards academic and research excellence as it hosted a two-day national leadership conclave, bringing together over 150 vice-chancellors, principals and deans to deliberate on transforming teaching practices and strengthening research ecosystems in engineering institutions.

The conclave, organised by PALS, an IIT Alumni initiative underscored IIT-M' role in shaping institutional leadership beyond its campus, with a focus on aligning curricula to industry needs and fostering outcome-based education.

Delivering the inaugural address, S Vidyashankar, Vice-Chancellor, Visvesvaraya Technological University, Karnataka, stressed the need for continuous curriculum evolution and deeper industry collaboration, stating that education must move from information to transformation and away from rote learning. Prathap Haridoss, Dean-Academics, IIT-M, highlighted changing student aspirations and said industry increasingly values analytical ability over conventional academic indicators.

The deliberations focused on teaching excellence, with IIT-M faculty and academic leaders advocating experiential learning, flexible curricula and stronger industry interface to improve graduate outcomes. Discussions also turned to research, with Ciza Thomas, Vice-Chancellor, APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, calling for purpose-driven research that delivers societal impact.

The two-day conclave held on April 10 and 11, concluded with institutions committing to adopt actionable strategies championed by IIT-M to enhance teaching quality and research output.