Make IITs more humane: Experts flag pressure and inclusion gaps

India’s premier engineering institutions must look beyond academic rankings and placement packages to build a more humane and inclusive campus culture, experts said at the India Today Mumbai Conclave 2026, calling for reforms to address academic pressure, social exclusion and gaps in mental health support.During a session titled “The IIT Reset: Making Excellence Humane”, economist and educationist Narendra Jadhav, former IIT Delhi director V Ramgopal Rao, and IIT Kanpur alumnus Dheeraj Singh discussed challenges facing students. The discussion followed IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode’s death, renewing questions about student well-being, alleged discrimination and institutional accountability.Rao highlighted the strain caused by rising student intake, inadequate infrastructure and relative grading. He called for greater curriculum flexibility and integrating mental health into campus education.Jadhav flagged declining public expenditure on education, saying spending had fallen from over 4 per cent of GDP to around 3 per cent, below the Kothari Commission’s 6 per cent target. Citing the National Task Force’s interim report, he said 44 per cent of 2.4 lakh surveyed students did not trust grievance-redressal mechanisms, while 34 per cent felt excluded. Jadhav said student distress has multiple causes, including academic pressure, caste-based discrimination and social isolation.Singh called for independent investigations and greater accountability among institutional leaders.The experts agreed that academic excellence must go hand in hand with empathy, inclusion, accessible mental health support and a campus culture where students feel they belong.