KHARAGPUR: Two years from now, an IITian will be able to get his BTech degree in three-and-a-half years instead of four, thanks to a new credit scores system.The country's premier tech institution will switch to credit scores from the 2016-17 academic session, replacing the standard four-year course, IIT-Kharagpur director Partha Pratim Chakrabarti announced during the 60th convocation on Saturday. Emulating the US system, all IITs plan to give their students a flexible time frame to complete the BTech programme.Under the new system, students have to accumulate a stipulated number of credits, including class lecture, laboratory, workshop and field work. They will be free to decide how much time they need to complete it. This means slow learners have eight years to do it — a huge relief for those driven to desperation, even suicide, for failing to match their peers.The fastest learners will earn 176 to 182 credits spread over a minimum seven semesters. "A student who finishes seven semesters in three-and-a-half years will have the scope for enriching his academic career by doing something on his own in the last six months. It could be an entrepreneurship venture or a start-up. While IIT will award him the degree at the convocation, the student will get a provisional marksheet at the end of three-and-a-half years to take up a job," the IIT-Kgp director said.Chakrabarti said the credits system will be rolled out in phases. "We have already introduced the international summer-winter programme. Some more steps have to be taken before a complete switchover to credits," said dean of undergraduate studies Rajendra Singh.The system is inspired by the evaluation pattern of top-notch technology institutes like MIT, Stanford and Harvard, said dean of alumni affairs and international relations, Siddhartha Mukhopadhyay. "We are customizing their system with ours," he added. The international summer-winter programme blueprint will be presented to President Pranab Mukherjee on August 22.IIT-Kharagpur is also mulling inter-IIT mobility once the uniform credit code is introduced across institutes. "Every IIT has its own centres of excellence. A student should be allowed to go and spend a semester or two at one of his preferred IITs. The credits earned by him during his stay will be exchanged. Though he will get the degree from the IIT where he is enrolled, the credits earned in any other IIT will be added to his marksheet," Chakrabarti said. He has already held discussions with the IITs in Guwahati, Kanpur and Mumbai on this.The institute is introducing several courses funded by the alumni. "The MN Farooqi Innovation Centre will be built with $1 million donated by HPL co-founder Arjun Malhotra. Gopal Rajgaria has donated Rs 10 crore for an International Programme. Ashok De Sarkar, Ruma De Sarkar and Samir De Sarkar have given $1 million to set up a centre for excellence in petroleum. They will also fund the visit of two Nobel laureates every year to the campus," the director announced.In his convocation speech, Bharat Ratna C N R Rao urged IIT graduates to stay back in the country. "Whatever I have done in science and whatever recognition I have received is by staying in India. If a high percentage of graduates from IITs serve the country then India would be so different," Rao said.* 4-year course can be finished in 3.5 years* Students can use the remaining 6 months for entrepreneurship* No pressure on slow learners. They will get 8 years for BTech* Students can spend a couple of semesters at their chosen centres of excellence in other IITs* Credits earned in another IIT will be added to marksheet