Notwithstanding IIM Ahmedabad’s (IIM-A) opposition to the proposed legislation to bring all IIMs under one umbrella body, Union HRD Ministry is all set to go ahead with its plan for a Council of IIM.
HRD Secretary Ashok Thakur told The Pioneer that the draft has been finalised and it will be okayed formally on April 2 meeting.
“There has been consensus so far and the draft is ready to be placed before the board meeting next week,” Thakur said. The meeting will be chaired by HRD Minister MM Pallam Raju. The major concern, however, remains from the IIM-A’s strong opposition. The HRD Ministry is in a Catch-22 situation as it has to resist the opposition from the leading and prestigious management institute of the country.
“The proposed legislation seeks to confer IIMs the status of institutes of national importance empowering them to award degrees instead of diplomas. It has proposed establishment of an IIM Council similar to the Council for the IITs and pave the way for appointment of more government directors on IIMs boards,” Thakur said.
The bill in Parliament proposes to have an umbrella type of body for IIMs and the Ahmedabad institute, the staff and Board of Governors together have opposed it as a society, stating that the autonomy of IIMs will be curtailed.
The IIM-A Board of Governors, which met last week opposed the government’s decision. Chairman IIM-A Board of Governor (BoG) A M Naik has communicated to the HRD Ministry in writing the representation and concerns, anticipating a rethink.
IIMs are a group of 13 public, autonomous management institutes across the country and they primarily offer postgraduate, doctoral and executive education programmes. In the present format, IIMs are registered as societies under the Indian Societies Registration Act and each IIM is autonomous and exercises independent control over its day-to-day operations.
B-school to get interim director
New Delhi: Officiating dean of IIM-A Prof Ajay Pandey would be interim director of the premier B-school till announcement of a new name by the Union HRD Ministry.
Pandey would take over from outgoing IIM-A director Samir Barua, whose term expires on March 31, after two extensions. HRD Ministry is likely to announce the name of a new IIM-A director by the first week of April.
The board of governors shortlisted Ashish Nanda, IIM-A alumnus; Prof G Raghuram and Prof Rakesh Basant and sent names to the Ministry. Nanda is Robert Braucher Prof of practise at Harvard law School, while Prof G Raghuram and Prof Rakesh Basant are both faculty-members at IIM-A. PNS