In Summary
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New Delhi: A significant drop in placement rates across the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) has highlighted broader concerns over declining employability in the country’s higher education system.
A recent report by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education flagged an "unusual decline" in IIT placements, revealing that B.Tech graduate placements fell by over 10% points between the 2021-22 and 2023-24 academic years.
According to the report, IIT Madras saw its placement rate decline from 85.71% to 73.29%, while IIT Bombay recorded a drop from 96.11% to 83.39%. Similar trends were observed at other IITs and NITs, with lower placement percentages and reduced salary packages.
A Wider Systemic Challenge
The issue extends beyond the IITs, with many non-IIT institutions suffering from fragmented or unavailable placement data. The committee, led by Congress MP Digvijaya Singh, recommended faculty development programs and initiatives to bridge the industry-academia gap. However, the lack of monitoring by regulatory bodies such as the UGC has left significant gaps in data collection.
Although the NIRF ranks higher education institutions, its assessment prioritizes academic outcomes over employability metrics, allowing some institutions to obscure placement performance.
Premier state-sector institutions such as Banaras Hindu University and Jamia Millia Islamia excel in teaching and research but lack robust placement mechanisms. Meanwhile, private universities frequently inflate their placement statistics, making it difficult for students to make informed choices about their education and career prospects.
Calls for Greater Accountability and Transparency
Experts argue that all higher education institutions must be held accountable for preparing students for the job market. There are growing demands for the UGC to impose penalties on institutions that manipulate or withhold placement data. Transparency in employability outcomes, they say, should be a key metric for ranking and accrediting universities.
Students primarily attend universities to secure jobs, and institutions should bear greater responsibility in facilitating employment opportunities. Without industry-ready curricula and effective placement support, universities risk failing their students. Critics argue that if universities cannot even guarantee internship placements, their credibility as career-building institutions must be questioned.
Economic Implications and the Need for Reform
The IIT placement crisis also has broader economic implications. Analysts suggest that the government must introduce targeted policies to address employment challenges, possibly by refining initiatives such as Make in India. The evolving job market demands a reexamination of how higher education aligns with national economic planning and workforce needs.
As even India’s top technical institutions struggle to secure placements for graduates, experts emphasize the urgency of overhauling the education system to meet shifting economic realities. Strengthening industry collaborations, enhancing skill development programs, and ensuring transparency in employment data could be crucial steps toward addressing the growing employability crisis.
