A total of 288 students recommended by the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) based on the results of JEE Advanced 2022 have joined the BTech and BTech- MTech Dual Degree programmes at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) this year. These students have come from 24 Indian states, with the highest number of students coming from Maharashtra (58), Gujarat (57), and Rajasthan (43). These are followed by Telangana (27), Madhya Pradesh (20), Uttar Pradesh (16), Andhra Pradesh (11), and Bihar (11), among others. The new batch also has two OCI students from the USA. This year a total of 58 female students have joined the Institute, taking the gender ratio among new undergraduate students to more than 20%.
The Institute welcomed the incoming batch of students and kick-started its flagship Foundation Programme (FP) 2022 today with an inaugural session in the presence of their family members.
Speaking to the new undergraduate students through a video message and welcoming them to IITGN, Prof Rajat Moona, Director, IITGN, said, “IITGN, as your ‘Karmabhoomi’ for the next four years, will equip you to take leadership positions as you step out as professionals and define the way the technical world is going to behave and work in future. I am sure you will flourish here, make new friends, and learn a lot of things that humanity needs to know.”
Following the Director’s message, Prof Amit Prashant, Dean, Research & Development, IITGN, congratulated all the students and their parents. Giving them a brief idea about various opportunities available to IITGN students and the Institute’s culture of freedom with responsibility, Prof Prashant said, “As you become a part of this Institute today, you will have the freedom to choose your own path and at the same time be accountable for your choices and actions. So choose your way of learning, lifestyle, and destinations wisely. Learn new things and skills by working with people beyond classrooms. Develop leadership, team building, and effective communication skills, which will help you in achieving your aspirations in the long run. I am sure your batch will surpass all our expectations like our previous batches have done so far.”
The newcomers were also given an overview and idea behind the path-breaking Foundation Programme of IITGN. A few IITGN alumni also shared their experiences and memories of their student life at IITGN.
The Foundation Programme 2022, which will go on till November 23, is being coordinated by Prof Sameer Patel, Prof Abinaya Sampath, Prof Rusa Mandal, Prof Mukesh Dhanka, and Prof Subramanian Sankaranarayanan. IITGN places great emphasis on shaping students not only as successful engineers of the future but also as well- rounded personalities, who contribute to society, are respectful of and adaptable to their surroundings and prove themselves to be thinkers and problem-solvers in all avenues of life; and hence, the five-week programme is designed to be a holistic development programme with an interesting mix of activities.
Apart from orientation on various institutional activities, facilities, and campus life, this year’s Foundation Programme is lined-up with exciting sessions on science experiments, gender and identity, the art of writing, language and communication, leadership, time management, social service, cooking, juggling, personality reading, theatre, cyanotype printing, engineering the music, block painting, mural painting, financial management, sports and cultural activates, and so on.
The idea behind this programme is to bring out the students from the heavily-loaded JEE competitive zone and introduce them to a variety of creative, communication, mental, and physical strength-building activities, and instil within them the IITGN values and ethics, a sense of teamwork and community service, interest in various kinds of arts, and much more.