The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras hosted the first-ever “Pan-IIT Student Governance Summit” on October 26-27, 2024. This historic event provided a collaborative platform for student leaders to IIT to exchange ideas and best practices, addressing the following issues: the changing higher education landscape and the challenges faced by today’s students.

The summit aimed to foster strategic dialogue, empower students to drive transformative change at their institutions and strengthen the collective impact of student governance across all IITs.

Prof V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, welcomed the initiative saying, “Effective governance is essential for any institution. This summit fostered unity among student representatives, creating valuable synergies to address key issues across the IIT campuses. The recommendations of this summit will be taken seriously by the administration.

The event included expert-led sessions on topics such as “Sustainable Campus Policies,” “Academic Standards,” “Research Ecosystem Development,” and “Student Mental Health and Well-Being.” Additional discussions focused on “UG placement policies”, “research infrastructure” and strategies for cultural and technical festivals. Professor Sathyanarayana N. Gummadi, Dean of Students, IIT Madras, highlighted the importance of the summit, remarking: “This event is an important step in providing student leaders with tools and ideas for a effective governance that will benefit campuses nationwide.

Student leader Atharv Joshi shared his views saying, “This summit has created a unique platform for student leaders from all IITs to collaborate, share ideas and shape the future of governance within of our establishments. The gathering inspired concrete strategies to improve the student experience, creating long-term networks between leaders, faculty, alumni and stakeholders to support continued collaboration and knowledge exchange within the IIT community.