New York Works Hard to Keep to Keep Education Funded

Though states across the nation have been suffering from budget cuts and loss of funding, New York is doing its best to keep its school art programs alive. In 2009, New York City schools surpassed previous years in arts classes available, and more students enrolled in these classes, according to the Department of Education.
Despite the number of art classes currently offered in New York City schools, the district has dedicated a smaller portion of their budget to art education, reducing the expenditure on the necessary supplies by 63%. The ability to maintain a lively arts program regardless of the budget cuts becomes more necessary every year, as New York can expect almost $200 million dollar cuts in the future, as reported by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg in the annual study of arts education.
New York has fostered pride in their schools by assigning grades to schools in the district that meet expectations, earn positive reviews from students and parents and assign budgets wisely. Grades are based on testimonials from students, parents and teachers and a variety of other elements. The grades are posted on the school's website, and principals are judged according to the success of their school and the efficiency of their work. Mayor Bloomberg approved the controversial rating system, arguing that the ratings maintain credibility.
Despite the growth of the arts programs, more than half of New York principals are claiming budget cuts as an impediment to a more vibrant arts program. Less than half of middle schools meet state standards for arts education and only 8% of elementary schools are reaching expectations. However, this still represents an improvement, as the previous percentage for elementary schools was only 4%.
Budget cuts are growing by the year. There will be a two and a half percent cut his year, and twice as much the next year. Educators and administrators need to fight to keep their programs strong. Some economists have suggested putting aside money for the arts in particular, as the current policy of allowing principals to choose the levels of funding has failed. Many schools ignore their arts program in favor of tested subjects, like English and math.
Reaching across the map, in the last year, more than half of American states have announced that they will be slashing budget allowances for education. Maine has reduced funding per student by approximately $140, as has Florida. Maryland, Massachusetts and Nevada are limiting their gifted and talented student programs, which will stop music education. These states are also expanding their budget cuts this year with even further proposals. Colorado and Idaho are reducing overall funds to public schools, meaning that districts will be cutting funding to arts education.
California, like New York, is looking at huge education cuts in the upcoming year. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed over four billion dollars in educational cuts to a state that has already been limiting funding to its schools. Administrators are expecting the limits on class sizes to be done away with, block scheduling forbidden, and sweeping job losses. Arts programs in Californian schools are as good as forgotten.

A Few Words on Educators in Career Transition

Educators are people with Intestinal Fortitude

. They are people with courage and perseverance to stand up in front of a group and speak to them with authority; not everyone can do that. Persistence, too, is a quality that is characteristic of Educators. They learn early in their profession that it is important not give up on people, but instead set clear goals and make every ounce of their energy available to others in order to help them reach those goals. Educators are also extraordinarily perceptive, trained to listen, to be sensitive to the reactions of others, and to gain feedback as to whether or not their message gets through. If the cliché is true that 90% of the problems of most businesses could be solved by better communication, then people with those skills would be in demand ... and they are! You can find them leading programs within businesses and as public relations specialists and "change agents".
Here are some other perspectives on Educators:

Educators are disciplined organizers who must learn early on in their careers to manage their time and that of others, wisely. Although their classroom hours may be structured for them, all that they do in the preparation and creation of new approaches and the monitoring, et al is performed in an unsupervised environment. This means that they have to set the structure themselves, on their own time, and maintain the discipline required to keep at it. Have you ever known an Educator who does not have strong scheduling, planning, time management and administrative skills? Just to be minimally effective requires careful planning as to course content, materials to be used, pace of learning, plus the optimum mix of role playing, testing, lecturing, drill, and more - very similar to project managers in business and industry.

Educators ARE project managers - and good ones too! They HAVE to be in order to get through the day, week and year. They are normally assigned duties beyond the classroom: Parent and teacher meetings; conferences; professional development workshops; associations meetings; coursework; and presiding over one or more student activities. It is left up to them to provide the organizational structure, goals, milestones for progress, and they are the final authority on matters that might be in dispute. At the same time, they have to understand group dynamics, build consensus, and enlist/enroll others to contribute so that they get the most out of the raw enthusiasm and talent that their students can bring to an activity. Too, it is they who see that things get done and the objectives are met, day-by-day, hour-by-hour, and minute-by-minute.

If an Educator fails to function well as an expert project manager and leader, the evidence is glaring and staring them in the face. A poor newspaper article, a yearbook that doesn't come out on time, a junior prom that flops, an art show with unfinished projects, an archaeology club with no field trips... lack of results has immediate and harsh consequences. When you think about it, time after time and year after year, Educators as a group do turn in outstanding performances in these many roles they are asked to fill.

Educators are also creative professionals. They continually find new and refreshing ways to present material and make it interesting. They are adept at thinking on their feet, solving problems, taking on new challenges and managing "surprises" such as the audience that looks for inconsistencies in an attempt to trip them up if can - it makes news.

Educators are Public Relations, Communications and Community Affairs professionals as they are regularly involved with group and individual sessions with parents/providers/administrators/unions/board members... Often different aspects of the community are touched by Educators' activities, thus tactful and carefully thought-out communications is a must. This has become especially critical in recent years as schools have been asked to take over more and more of the roles formerly filled by families and the community. For those who are creative and/or thrive on new challenges, it's a jolt of adrenalin every day.

Educators are Counselors and Consultants. They are expected to provide the psychological and emotional support that many of their students AND families require. They also counsel and consult with each other. This requires the qualities of a good listener, advanced communications skills, a person who gets beyond the symptoms to the causes, a perceptive person who is supportive, compassionate and bold ... all these come to the foreground in the Educators who function as counselor and consultant. And finally...

Educators are trainers, motivators and coaches too. They take bodies of information and then design and implement procedures to make sure that audiences (clients, classes, teams) absorb that information. But they do more: They teach people to think for themselves and to develop the skills they need to learn on their own. This creative group of leaders, public relations professionals, program managers and trainers instill a desire in their listeners to take an interest in the subject matter and to work hard at mastering it. When you consider that they do not always have a willing audience, and that the subject matter is not always of the greatest interest to the audience, their motivating feats can be appreciated more fully! They are what's more, the ideal trainer.

Many formal Educators are General Managers who have started and run small businesses during the summer. It makes little difference whether it is a concession stand at the shore, a landscaping or house painting company, part ownership in a local restaurant; a summer camp, a basketball clinic or running tours for students. In any of these businesses, they learn what it means to meet a payroll and what cash flow and generating revenue are all about; and they learn to deal with the pressures involved in making a profit. They understand the importance of systems to control operations, costs and quality, and tat of good customer service ... and "selling" too. They oversee operations, plan direction, serve as spokespersons, train and organize, recruit and motivate, and more. They know how to "act in the moment" and make adjustments when things aren't going as planned. These Educators also understand logistics and supply chain and many other aspects fundamental to running a business. In general, they can do almost anything good managers of successful small to mid-size businesses can do, and accordingly, for all the Educators who have run or helped others run businesses, there are tens of thousands of potential employers, and that include just about every small and medium-sized business in the U.S.

There you have it ... just a few words on Educators! Hopes this helps someone.

The Real Effect of Federal Bailout Money on Education

The federal bailout allocated $150 billion for education - a 2-year commitment that should have doubled the current funding for local schools. While it would certainly be too early to notice significant gains in education, as new hirings and new investments would likely occur this summer, one might expect to see, at the very least, a static picture in light of the recent funding boost. But we see the opposite: schools are in a frenzy to keep their doors open, teachers are losing their jobs, and special projects are being eliminated.
So why, then, does the education system seem anything but static if there is so much money being graciously pumped into the system by the federal government? Why have California, New York, Pennsylvania, and Arizona announced profound decreases in education spending, despite receiving education funding relief from the bailout? Many states are following suit. In the midst of the boldest federal commitment to education since World War II, educators are running for the hills instead of celebrating.
The answer is as clear as it is upsetting: local funding for education is gone. The economic crisis has decimated state finances, rendering state budgets for education closer and closer to zero. The result is that the bailout money is unable to bolster education funding, and must be used instead to temporarily stop the bleeding. Pennsylvania's newest budget proposals are the most extreme, calling to replace all local education funding with federal bailout funding. Sadly, however, such proposals should not come as a surprise: local governments have more immediate needs, and any money available will be used to fill those needs. The old education funding is being reallocated to many other state programs that are not getting bailout assistance, including infrastructure initiatives, justice departments, and a myriad of specialty programs.
It's hard to be too upset about this seemingly unjust usage of education bailout money in light of these 'more pressing' needs. The real problem is what is happening to the power structure in American education: as local funding is replaced by federal funding, state governments are conceding control of their education policies to the federal government, a power shift that could strip local schools of their control of curriculum, mapping, and resource allocation. Whether or not such a power shift is desirable is a debate open to talking heads and casual readers alike, but its implications should not be ignored. Are we ready for a more centralized education system? Are we prepared for the federal government to dictate more education policy? Should we be alright with a more far-reaching national bureaucracy involved in our schools? Fire away.

The Changing Face of Education

Opportunities in education today would have been impossible even a few decades back. With the popularity of the Internet, easy accessibility to computers and the World Wide Web, higher education has been transformed into a new dynamic entity. With technology progressing at a rapid pace and demands changing almost daily, our lives are only becoming busier. The world around us is left with no option but to change and move along with the times to accommodate to our new schedules and requirements. This is more than apparent in the field of education. As times change, fewer and fewer students rely on the traditional method of attending classes at a college campus. The 'brick and mortar' type of education still exists but now side by side with the option of graduating from an online degree program as well.
As the number of people who look for ways to complete their education or improve their skills becomes too large, it is inevitable that a large number of colleges and universities take the necessary steps towards filling that need. But jobs, childcare and other family obligations limit the amount of time people can devote to their education, and thus, alternative arrangements are created. Online education has started gaining popularity and has now completely changed the way we approach education today.
Online degrees are now widely accepted and recognized as authentic educational qualifications. As long as the institution offering the degree is accredited by an accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, there should be no problem in the degree being accepted and acknowledged anywhere. Fully accredited online degree programs are now available in nearly every field. From management to medicine, law to accounting, there is a wide variety of choices on offer. Even obscure subjects and fields of study have found their place on the Internet. With degrees such as healthcare, students are even given the option of combining the practical aspect of their training at local hospitals or clinics along with virtual classes and studying online.
The flexibility of online education has opened up the doors of education to people from all walks of life. Stay at home moms and dads can now study from their own houses and employees can complete their assignments around their work schedules. There is 24 hour accessibility to the study material allowing for all night study sessions as well as the possibility of returning to subject matter again and again if necessary. And as universities continue to expand their options, the flexibility of online education will only increase. Students will be offered more options with the possibility of a custom created curriculum that suits their individual requirements and interests.
Distance learning also allows people hundreds of miles away to graduate with degrees from the college of their choice. Without spending a penny on gas or transport, students can make the most of a world class education with resources and faculty from all over the world. Through pre-recorded lectures, worksheets, assignments, e-classes, online forums, and tests, students can view, interact, and study from the comfort of their own space.
With a more flexible attendance policy, students can choose to tackle their workload as quickly or as slowly as they need to (all within a larger pre-determined schedule, of program). While this freedom may prove to be a little daunting to a new student, after completing a few programs, it becomes easier to get used to this new way of studying. To be successful in an online program, a large amount of self discipline and motivation is imperative. Without which it is all too easy to take advantage of the flexibility of the program and not achieve much. And while online education is definitely less expensive than a traditional degree program, to spend time, money and effort on something that is not taken seriously will not accomplish anything in the long run.
Online education in short offers every individual the right information in the right format at the right time for the best chances of success. Once upon a time online schools were considered the next wave of education and that future is finally here - ready to change the way we look at education way beyond the boundaries of any classroom.

Ten REALLY Bold Ways to Transform US Education

I'm not a reformer. It's not that things don't need to change-it's that they need to change in such massive ways that "reform" doesn't even begin to touch it. I'm not a policy wonk or researcher either, but I do admire those who focus on the stats and the details of what is working (and what isn't) and who write about what might be done to improve schools based on the evidence. I appreciate that we need to know some facts in order to make informed decisions.

So, I guess I'm approaching the education issue from a more practical and intuitive position. For years, I've been teaching people how to pay attention, and I follow my own advice about cultivating awareness and watching what's going on in the world around me.

Simply paying attention is what led my husband and me to sell everything a few years ago (at the top of the market), yank our kids out of their suburban US high school and give them a truly global education. (And trust me, we are not the slightest bit rabid about politics, economics or education-we just saw that there were some changes coming and we wanted to give our kids and ourselves an advantage.)

My four kids who have attended a total of ten public schools in the US, not to mention numerous colleges-both state and private, American and international. I've lived in several states and countries and witnessed other approaches to education, and while writing my book, I interviewed a lot of experts about their ideas for implementing change. And as the CEO of Education Design Partners and founder of the Education Design Institute, I'm committed to helping people think about education in new and innovative ways and I recognize our need to focus on a micro one-student-at-a-time model rather than propose sweeping changes that have no chance of being implemented anytime soon.

Still, sweeping changes are fun to think about. Now, I know that for each suggestion I offer, there are probably ten reasons why it can't be done. We all have knee-jerk reactions to new ideas, so I invite you to pay attention to your own response and see if you might be missing a little nugget of hope buried in each suggestion. None of these ideas are mentioned in my book, by the way, and I wouldn't even say they are my most key ideas. But they happen to be the ones I'm thinking about this week as we look ahead to a new year and a new administration.

If you're really hungry for change, here are a few things to chew on....

1) Make kindergarten, first and second grades completely devoted to arts education.

This doesn't mean finger-painting all day-it means following an established and effective curriculum for arts education that incorporates all aspects of art in the teaching of traditional subjects. From five to seven years of age, kids are sponges just waiting to soak up ideas, and this is a perfect time to immerse them in a stimulating creative environment that encourages innovation and celebrates the natural artist within each of us. That may sound woo-woo, but it's not-arts education is a perfect foundation for higher level thinking, and rather than parcel it out an hour here and an hour there throughout elementary school, we need to give kids a chance to dive in when they are ripe to reap the benefits. Test (and present a portfolio) at the end of the second grade.

Note: the details matter. Have them wear artist smocks over their regular clothes. Creating the mindset of being an artist and approaching all subjects through the lens of art and creativity will provide a powerful mechanism for problem solving later in life.

2) Make third, fourth and fifth grades completely devoted to technology.

Again, this doesn't mean they are typing on a computer keyboard all day and mastering programming. It means that all subjects taught-math, language arts, science, social studies-incorporate technology, including laptops, Ipods, cell phones, digital cameras and more. Get them so comfortable with integrating tech tools into their studies that they see absolutely no barriers to the ways in which they can absorb, create and distribute their work. Teach them how to mix sedentary time with activity-these are the years to build good habits about health and exercise so they don't end up glued to a screen and neglecting their bodies. Test (and present a portfolio of multi-media work) at the end of the fifth grade.

NOTE: Have them wear uniforms that are essentially nice sweats. This helps them remember the need for movement and allows them to see themselves as individuals who can be active despite spending a lot of time using tech tools.

3) Where feasible, offer two-way language immersion programs in elementary schools.

We've got an increasing number of students who don't speak English as a native language, and we're packing them into ESL classes. Meanwhile, we recognize the need for more kids to learn a foreign language. Why are we separating the two? There are excellent models for two-way immersion-classrooms that include both a regular teacher and an ESL teacher and a mix of kids. When done right, two-way immersion gives ALL kids a chance to improve their language skills and results in both fluency and a deeper respect for different cultures and languages. Obviously, this would work best in districts/classrooms in which one foreign language is dominant-Spanish, for example. Why are we not giving our kids a chance to teach each other? The early years of elementary are the perfect time to start.

4) Make sixth, seventh and eighth grades completely devoted to science and math.

Other subjects will be incorporated, but the main focus should be on developing competency and fluidity in manipulating the most basic elements of math, biology, chemistry and physics. Since the kids have already learned how to ask questions from an artistic perspective and are very familiar with incorporating technology tools in their learning process, they're primed to leap into math and science and really develop a solid grasp of these subjects and how they enhance understanding in other areas. Test (and present research) at the end of the eighth grade.

NOTE: Make them wear white lab coats. (Yes, teachers, too.) This is done in numerous countries and it sets the tone and creates the mindset that science is studied, research is conducted, numbers are understood-and that every student has the ability to view the world through the lens of logic and data. Oh, and since these lab coats must be closed (buttoned or zipped) and go to the knees, those bare midriff/inappropriate t-shirt/designer logo issues disappear completely just when they're starting to cause problems. Whew!

5) Make ninth and tenth grades completely devoted to literature/writing and social sciences.

Students at this age should focus on the fundamentals of reading, critical thinking, and developing an understanding of the social, political and economic forces at work in the world. This should be a hard-core period of high expectations (not necessarily rigorous testing!) for each student and an emphasis on maximizing each student's ability to write clearly and express ideas. Their previous focus on science will serve them well as they will be familiar with presenting a hypothesis, testing a theory and sharing conclusions. Test (and present an in-depth report) at the end of the tenth grade.

NOTE: Make them wear school uniforms-typical preppy stuff. This is their time to see how they do in a very academic setting emphasizing liberal arts. Whether they are college-bound or not, it's very important that they see themselves as students who can understand the world and speak and write about it coherently.

6) Make 11th grade completely devoted to teaching students how to learn outside the classroom.

Get them OUT. Send them abroad (much more in my book about why this is the very best time to do this) on an exchange. Get them working or volunteering. Connect them with mentors in the community. Give them unpaid internships. Make them take several writing classes online (in which they are analyzing what they are experiencing and learning) and come to the high school two days a week (if they're in the area) for class discussions and group work. The goal here is to challenge them in ways that ensure they will develop confidence in their ability to learn wherever they are and the responsibility to balance freedom with high expectations. This is outstanding training for the global workplace.

7) Make them take community college classes during what would be their senior year of high school.

High school is too long. Students are being kept in a juvenile setting that stunts their growth and limits their thinking. At 17, they need to be learning in a more adult environment (that is, a mix of students their age plus adults) and they should be focusing on an area that interests them based on their experiences the previous year. By 18, they should have at least a year's worth of college credits (two if they've been motivated to take additional classes on their own) and can transfer to a four-year university as a sophomore or junior or continue a little longer to earn an associate's degree or study in their area of interest.

One of the biggest reasons we have such a low college graduation rate is that it takes too long. Universities encourage the four-or-five-year plan when it would be better for most students to finish in three years. Students who are encouraged to dive into higher ed at a younger age (from 16) can see the end in sight and are more likely to complete a degree than those who spend their junior and senior years of high school prepping for college and still have four more years to go. This leads to the next idea....

8) Eliminate the long summer vacation at all levels.

Seriously, it's time to get rid of this archaic idea of taking ten or twelve weeks off in the summer. It breaks up learning, eliminates gains, and results in an extended education period that is clearly defeating students from elementary school through college. If we no longer have summer breaks and shift to a set of three or four two-week vacations per year, and if we focus on presenting clear learning blocks (arts, technology, science, language arts/social sciences, experiential learning/mentoring), we can get kids immersed, keep them engaged and allow them to finish up by the age of 16. After that, they move into higher level learning in their areas of interest and get a head start on courses that allow them to develop the skills they need.

9) Eliminate high school sports and activities.

Hoo-boy, I can hear the crowd already! But we've got to get rid of this outdated model and stop viewing high school as a Disney musical or teen movie. Get them learning like crazy in ninth and tenth grades and excited to blast out into the world! Which leads to....

10) Turn high schools into community centers.

We'll have the space if the juniors and seniors are spending more time on experiential learning, internships, online courses and college-level classes. Use the fields for mixed-age intramural-type sports and other activities. Use the classrooms for adult education (community college partnerships could work beautifully here) in academic and vocational courses as well as recreational non-credit classes.

With more boomers and retirees shifting to second (or third or fourth) careers in social entrepreneurship, these new community centers could become laboratories for creative collaboration as well as providing students with great opportunities for internships in a range of organizations. Bring them all together in the school and give kids an opportunity to find mentors at an age when they need to forge relationships with adults who can inspire them. Keeping sixteen-year-olds surrounded by sixteen-year-olds in a juvenile setting is a recipe for arrested development, and it's being played out in the form of 25-year-olds who just can't quite get it together. They need opportunities to spend time with adults and get a sense of their possibilities early on, and our efforts to shove them into the college-prep system is resulting in boredom and burn out just when they should be on fire about their future!

Why is the Shift Toward Online Education Happening?

This paper deals with the question: Why is the shift toward online education happening? This is a complex issue that involves questions of educational access, paradigms for teaching and learning, competition and globalization among universities, the development of new and better online technologies, and the financial pressures facing higher education. A huge transition is underway.
The same networking and computing technology that has revolutionized global commerce, and many other facets of modern life, is now being targeted at education. Partnering the Internet with modern course management systems makes it possible for universities to offer online coursework on a global basis. The critical task that lies ahead is to create and disseminate curricula of high quality that students can embrace and educators can sustain. For more details visit to [http://www.guardadsense.com]. The overall objective of José's Online Education Forum is to examine the realities of college and university online teaching, and the processes of education using today's information technologies. Collectively, the authors of this paper have taught over a hundred different university-level courses online, both graduate and undergraduate, mostly using the Internet. The issues and insights discussed in this Forum will provide educators with important tools and the understanding needed to effectively embrace the world of online education.
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 The Sloan Consortium
In a Sloan-C survey of 1170 Provosts and Academic VPs, more than half indicated a belief that online education would be 'critical for the long-term' in higher education. Surprisingly perhaps, the same percentage said that they believe success in achieving learning outcomes is already equivalent between online and traditional teaching methods. And there was also a consensus of opinion among these respondents that the quality of online courses would continue to improve, with a third of them believing that online teaching quality will soon surpass the quality typical of conventional teaching. These opinions may be surprising for many of us in the teaching profession, coming as they do from such high level and influential administrators. They signal a fundamental change in perceptions about the potential of online education in the immediate future.
1.2 Overview
The objective in this paper is to investigate and assess why this shift to online education is happening. Several factors can be cited beginning with improvements in access to educational services using online technologies and changing paradigms for teaching and learning that integrate well with these technologies. Other factors include heightened educational competition and globalization, the ongoing and often dramatic improvements in online systems capabilities, and the underlying economics of providing online education versus conventional means. The following sections of this paper explore each of these factors individually.
2. ACCESS TO EDUCATION
2.1 Access for the Masses
The ability to use information technologies effectively is one aspect of achieving success in today's society, both for individuals and for organizations as a whole. The current job market requires educated workers who are capable of changing and adapting as business and cultural realities shift and evolve in today's fast-paced, global economy (Kantar, 2001). Information technology is enabling the development of this kind of economic world structure. For more information logon to [http://www.instant-adsense-dollars.com]. It is also making possible the education of the workforce that this new economy requires by providing new capabilities for teaching and learning online.
Online education offers the promise of increased access to high quality education for the masses. Exactly how this is going to occur is not clear yet, but there is no doubt that online education is rapidly becoming an established modality. The development of the modern world economy demands an educated workforce. Places like the three It's (India, Indonesia, and Ireland) and more recently China, are finding that the need for an educated workforce is overwhelming the capabilities of their traditional educational systems. In America and Western Europe, the same economic and political pressures associated with 'equality of opportunity' contribute to demands for equal access to a quality education for all who seek it.

Education in India - New IITs

When prominent alumni of the existing seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) were drawing up a blueprint to set up a new IIT, the government itself had announced plans for new IITs in the coming years to bridge existing gaps in technical education. Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh in August this year unveiled a plan to set up eight IITs for a revolution in the field of present education system. The IIT mission would therefore be in line with that long-term objective of central government.
Higher education in India got a big boost with eight new IITs to be set up at a total cost of Rs.60.80 billion ($1.5 billion). New IITs had been approved in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Punjab, and Rajasthan. Among them, six IITs have already started their academic sessions this year, while the other two - approved in Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh - are expected to start operations from the 2009-10 academic years. To ensure that the IITs function properly, the government has sanctioned 30 faculty posts per year for each new IIT. It has also specifically approved the post of a Director in each of these IITs in the grade of Rs. 26,000 (fixed) and a post of Registrar in the grade of Rs.16,400 -22,400 for each new IIT. The Cabinet has also decided to raise the grade of all existing seven IIT Directors from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 26,000 (fixed).
Three existing IITs - Guwahati, Madras and Delhi - have been made mentor institutions for the education institutes at Patna, Medak and Rajasthan respectively. Technical faculty from the Guwahati and Madras IITs are deployed to teach at makeshift campuses at Patna and Medak. IIT Rajasthan doesn't even have a makeshift campus, and has started functioning from its mentor's campus at IIT Delhi.
With 6 new IITs functioning this year, overseas expansion of IITs is put on hold. The HRD ministry has said that Syria's vision of an IIT in its capital will have to wait for some time. There are mixed responses from experts on these new IITs. Prime Minister's initiative to establish eight new IITs has drawn flak from his scientific adviser CNR Rao, who said that the opening of so many IITs is going to be a disaster. Even prominent alumni of IITs are concerned about IIT brand value. They raise questions about operations of new IITs. The one problem which bothers all new IIT directors is that of finding quality teaching staff.
As per the government, the creation of new IITs will enable provision of high quality Indian education for more students. It would also address state and region specific technology related problems of states and UTs situated in the IITs' Zones. Prominent IIT Prof. Joshi said the new IITs have created opportunities. Recently in a meeting at Patna he said, a number of brilliant students who might have not made it due to limited number of seats will now be able to join in IITs. Putting aside initial problems and operational difficulties, these institutes are expected to address high quality manpower requirements of Indian industry.