Women still a minority in IITs, says Preeti Aghalayam
Preeti’s appointment comes at a time when several IITs have been making a conscious effort to improve the skewed gender ratio on campus.
First woman IIT Director Preeti Aghalayam with officials in Tanzania’s Zanzibar for setting up IIT Madras’ offshore campus
NEW DELHI: Women are still a minority at Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and despite constant efforts to improve the gender ratio on campuses, it’s still a long way to go, according to Preeti Aghalayam, the first woman to become an IIT director.
While the first IIT was set up at Kharagpur in 1951, it is after seven decades that a woman has been appointed as head of the prestigious institute. But, for Aghalayam, director-in-charge of the new IIT in Zanzibar, Tanzania, it is not just about breaking a glass ceiling but “Once an IITian, always an IITian” theory.
Forty-nine-year-old Preeti Aghalayam has spent the past few months travelling to and from India to Zanzibar and is busy setting things in motion. “For me, the fact that it is the first IIT campus abroad is more important than me being the first woman to head an IIT. It is not just about breaking the glass ceiling for me. It is more of ‘Once and IITian, always an IITian’ for me.
“I studied at IIT Madras. I have worked at IIT Bombay before and have been teaching at IIT Madras since 14 years, so it is just an extension of the kind of love and passion that I have for how things work at an IIT... Many of my great friends are from IITs and I also met my husband at IIT Madras,” Aghalayam said in an interview from Zanzibar.
Preeti’s appointment comes at a time when several IITs have been making a conscious effort to improve the skewed gender ratio on campus.
“It is a fact that women have been a minority at IITs. Things have improved a bit in the past few years, but the problem still exists and it is at all levels - both at students and faculty. We are about 12 per cent women faculty at IIT Madras. The problem is not about gender inclusivity on campuses, but about whole perception around technology institutions,” she said.
Asked about whether her appointment was a conscious call by IIT Madras to send out a strong message about gender inclusivity, Preeti said, “Every time we visited Zanzibar as part of the IIT Madras contingent, we noticed that the representation of women on their side is quite significant. So, it was important that we do this mindfully and our effort will also be to have gender balance in the new campus. There are no rigid norms around it right now but in the coming years, we will definitely work towards achieving it.”
Aghalayam has been the nodal officer for the Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI) programme at IIT Madras. “As part of the programme, I and my colleagues had a chance to look at gender-segregated data in every sphere which helped us examine ourselves. We had put together concrete plans, which could make the institute gender equal in terms of both numbers and opportunities. These steps will be part of my mission at the new camps too,” she said.
