IIT - Just another Brand?

In a nation obsessed with comparing one's child with the neighbor's child or the child's cousin, its no surprise that education is a big business. From top institutes to local tuitions, all seem to be spinning money on account of a promise - making a child's financial future secure! And thinking of brands in education, whats better than our prestigious IITs and IIMs? But come to think of it, they are just another brand. They have been smart enough to build upon it.

Why are these brands thought of so highly? Well you provide 1500 seats when the demand is more like 1.5 lakh [total applicants] or lets say [15000 strong candidates] - that seems to have been working for such institutes. Yes, they do provide quality education, but it is not something that other institutes can't provide. While IIMs are set for increasing the already high fee[in the range of 2 lacs to 3 lacs per annum across IIMs], thankfully IITs have maintained an affordable fee. Yet this news in TOI comes as a shock.

IIT-JEE cut-offs under scanner

RTI Reveals Bungled Procedure

Manoj Mitta | TNN

New Delhi: How does the IIT-JEE, one of the most respected competitive examinations in the world, determine who makes the cut-off for admission? In response to notices sent by the Central Information Commission (CIC) on an RTI application, the IIT authorities have given conflicting versions, putting the JEE under a cloud.
CIC member O P Kejariwal has threatened to take an “extremely serious’’ view if IIT Kharagpur, which conducted the JEE in 2006, did not disclose by January 15 how it had calculated the cutoff marks in each of three subjects—mathematics, physics and chemistry.
This is the third time CIC has issued a non-compliance notice to IIT Kharagpur, which was found to have given two different versions of the statistical procedure to arrive at the cut-off marks. Worse, neither of those versions was found to tally with the cut-off marks admittedly applied in the 2006 IIT JEE.
The system, in which every year a different IIT conducts the JEE by rotation, is hard pressed to come clean on the procedure for cut-off marks as RTI has put a question mark on the credibility of what is considered to be a global brand. Jan 15 deadline to explain IIT cut-offs
Consider the sequence of events that led to such a pass:
In October 2006, a parent of an unsuccessful candidate filed RTI applications asking for cut-off marks, the procedure for arriving at them and marks of the students above the cut-off marks in the IITJEE held that year.
In December 2006, IIT Kharagpur evasively said there was “no fixed procedure or technique’’ for deciding the cut-off marks.
In May 2007, after holding a hearing on an appeal filed by the aggrieved parent, CIC directed IIT Kharagpur to disclose all information sought under the RTI and issued notice on why a penalty should not be imposed for its failure to do so until then. IIT Kharagpur came up with the first version of the procedure to arrive at the qualifying marks.
In June 2007, CIC issued a non-compliance notice as the stated procedure did not tally with the cut-off marks.
In July 2007, IIT Kharagpur said the information provided by it was correct.
In August 2007, CIC issued a second non-compliance notice. IIT Kharagpur came up with a second version of the procedure for determining the cut-off marks.
In September 2007, CIC closed the case on the basis of the second version.
In October ’07, the appellant asked CIC to reopen the case, saying the second version didn’t tally with the cut-off marks.
On December 7, the CIC directed IIT Kharagpur to comply with its directions “in full’’ by January 15. TNN