AICTE gets New Chairman - Prof. TG Sitharam

In recent Higher Education news, Professor TG Sitharam, Director of the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT Guwahati), has been appointed as the new Chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). 

The Ministry of Education (MoE) has approved the appointment of Professor Sitharam as the new AICTE Chairman for 3 years starting in 2022. Prof Sitharam will take charge from M Jagadesh Kumar (Chairperson, UGC), who has been holding the interim head of the AICTE chairman post since last year after the previous Chairman, Prof Anil Sahasrabuddhe, retired on attaining the age of 65 years.

How does the appointment of the Chairman AICTE take place?

In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 3(4) of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) Act, 1987, the MoE has reconstituted the Council of AICTE w.e.f. 25th Oct 2021. Under Clause 3(4)(a), a Chairman has to be appointed by the Central Government.

What is the Term of Chairman, AICTE?

The term of AICTE Chairman extends “For 3 years from the date of assumption of charge, or till attaining the age of 65 years or until further orders from MoE, whichever is earliest.”

Prof Sitharam’s Educational Background

After obtaining his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Mysore University, Professor Sitharam went on to do his Master’s in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore (1986). 

Early Career:

He worked as a lecturer at the University of Waterloo soon after his PhD. He did his postdoctoral work at the Center for Earth Sciences and Engineering at the University of Texas, Austin(1991-94). He has been a visiting or honorary professor at many universities in countries including Japan, Canada, the USA, Hongkong, Australia and the Republic of China.

Career Trajectory:

Professor Sitharam is a member of the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Department of Science and Technology(DST), Government of India. He has been serving as the IIT Guwahati Director and a Senior Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. He has served IISc for more than 27 years.

The professor was Chairman of BoG at IIT Guwahati during 2019-2020 for more than a year. He is the former Chairman of the Research Council, CSIR- CBRI (Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee). He also holds the Director (additional charge) position at the Central Institute of Technology in Kokrajhar, Assam, since May 2021. 

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