Autonomy is a subjective term. Instead of behaving autocratically in the name of autonomy, the critics of the Bill should demand fair and just selections within the board of governors in the institutions of higher education. Instead of having a majority of industrialists in the board of governors, they should emphasise on the academicians of reputed credentials
The recent drafting of the IIM Bill is making headlines with many alleging that the proposed move will jeopardise the autonomy of Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). AM Naik, the chairman of IIM(A) Board of Governors, has vehemently opposed the measure, saying, “It will not only curtail autonomy but will reduce the premier B-school to a mere ‘operating centre’ while arming the Government with sweeping powers”. Ashish Nanda, the director of IIM-Ahmadabad shares the same concerns. A lot of columns and articles in the newspapers have been written against the Government’s move to introduce the Bill.
This unrest raises a few questions about the provisions of the IIM Bill 2015 that are drawing criticism. What are the clauses of the IIM BillIJ Are other institutions of excellence governed by a similar ActIJ How beneficial has the autonomy of IIMs beenIJ
Did autonomy exist beforeIJ
It is necessary to explore the provisions of the IIM Bill 2015 and the reasons for which it is being opposed. One of the most controversial statements is that of Clause 17(2) of the Bill which is irking the present IIM-A director. It says: “The Director shall be appointed by the Central Government with the approval of the Visitor, on such terms and conditions of service as may be prescribed”.
On April 10, 2013, much before the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) came into power, an article published in Business Standard, reads “IIM seeks liberty to elect directors”. It further stated that “the board of governors at IIM-Ahmedabad had sent names of three contenders — Ashish Nanda of Harvard University, IIM-A faculty members G Raghuram and Rakesh Basant — for the post of director to the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) on March, 2013. But the Ministry is yet to respond”. The article clearly indicates that the MHRD is the highest authority in making decisions regarding the assigning of directors. The high profile appointments often have political motivations and hence seldom remain untouched by corruption. However the article brings into question: Does the news published in 2013 imply that the IIMs exercised liberty in the selection of directors before the NDA came into powerIJ
IIM Bill and acts governing other institutions
The Netaji Subhash University of Technology Bill passed on June 24, 2015, by the Delhi Government can be cited. The Bill was introduced during the Delhi Assembly on June 23, 2015 and was passed the very next day. The Bill too has provisions similar to the IIM Act. Surprisingly, there was no protest and resentment despite the fact that the Netaji Subhash Institute of Technology (NSIT) too ranks among the world’s top institutions.
Be it the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) or hiring Pahlaj Nihalani as chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), the BJP is facing massive protests for allegedly encroaching the autonomy of the said institutions.
The proposed IIM Act is not very different in spirit from the IIT, NIT, and AIIMS Acts. In fact, a detailed comparison between the IIT and IIM Acts would reveal that IIM enjoys more liberty than IIT, while credentials in the world market are higher for IITs and AIIMS than IIMs. These institutions of engineering and medical sciences, established under an Act of Parliament, are also autonomous. like the IIMs, these institutions too have autonomy in making policies regarding admission, recruitment of teachers and curriculum. The issue, however, is different. Perhaps the IIMs are worried that the financial autonomy assuring the freedom to determine fees, salaries, perks, international travel grants, etc, would be at stake. This apart the autonomy that the IIMs enjoy in recruiting faculty at international rates without keeping mandatory constitutional provisions of reservation in the appointment of teachers, would be endangered.
Who governs the IIMsIJ
A deeper unearthing of the matter reveals that the board of governors which recommends prospective directors includes candidates from industries, academics, administrations and the Government. For instance, the current chairman of the board of governors of IIM-A is AM Naik, the executive chairman of larsen and Toubro limited. The other members include three civil servants, one vice-chancellor of a university, five industrialists and five academicians from IIM and other institutions. Given the present scenario, it is difficult to expect an unbiased selection. The existing composition which has a majority of members from industrial and bureaucratic backgrounds can, very convincingly, disorient decisions concerning the welfare of society.
The new Bill requires having at least one person of the board of governors from the Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes distinguished in the field of education or industry or social service or public service. It is very anomalous that the present structure of the board of governors does not have any member from the reserved categories. This fact belittles and questions the autonomy that the IIMs have been practicing so far.
Excellence and social inclusion
The recent success of the two outstanding brothers (their father works as a daily-wage labourer at Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh) who managed to secure impressive ranks in IIT entrance stresses the importance of social inclusion. Such inspiring incidents resonate in AIIMS, NIT, DU, JNU and other excellent institutions of India. But any poor student making it into IIMs is unheard of. The reason is not simply Rs 22 lakh fee charged by the institution in addition to all other expenses incurred before and after admission. The pattern in which the entrance examination has been formulated automatically ensures the exclusion of poor students residing in villages and who are not adept in English. Any faculty from the Dalit community is rarely found in IIMs. If autonomy helps educational institutions to excel while excluding students from socially and economically poor backgrounds, it is better to not have that autonomy. The new Bill clearly emphasises on the inclusion of backward classes in Clause 6(d).
It says, “Sensitise management education to the vision of inclusive, equitable and sustainable national development goals in order to contribute holistically to society”.
This goal has always been undermined by all the IIMs in India. Though IIM in its present state does not explicitly indicate that it will not impart education to socially and economically backward students, it has not yet made any effort to make managerial education inclusive for all through affirmative actions. For instance, the entrance examinations of other elite institutions like the IITs and AIIMS are based on the knowledge of the subject concerned, while the IIM entrance examination unnecessarily emphasises on the high proficiency of English, which makes the entrance difficult for most aspirants hailing from remote India to clear.
It might be argued when an engineer graduating from IIT can efficiently work without being highly proficient in English, why not an IIM graduateIJ This is one of the reasons behind the unfortunate wide communication gap between the labourers and the managers in India. This suppressed unrest finds expression in the violent attacks when the managers are not just manhandled, but are brutally killed by the labourers. How ruthlessly the manager of the Maruti Udyog in Haryana and a Jute mill CEO in West Bengal were killed by labourers is really horrifying. These are just two of the many other brutal instances that display the lack of understanding between the managerial staff and labourers. This gap can be bridged through effective communication and English has definitely no role to play at this level. Not diluting the importance of English in business communications, it may be argued further that there is always an opportunity to train the students as required.
Who support the IIM BillIJ WhyIJ
Though it might seem that the majority of academicians are against introducing this Bill, some do support it. The director of IIM Calcutta has welcomed the move by saying, “It is a welcome move and one that students, in particular, will greatly benefit from. Students of the fellowship programme which is equivalent to a PhD have always faced a problem abroad explaining that the two (fellowship and PhD) carry the same weight. This Bill will help them as also the PGP students for whom, now, a master’s degree will be far more recognised globally than a PGDM”. Unlike the IITs, which are governed by their respective Acts of Parliament, the IIMs are run by registered societies and therefore award postgraduate diplomas at the end of their two-year programme instead of an MBA.
Autonomy is a very subjective term. With time and situation, its meaning keeps changing. Instead of behaving autocratically in the name of autonomy, the critics should demand fair and just selections within the board of governors in the institutions of higher education. Instead of having a majority of industrialists in the board of governors, they should emphasise on the academicians of reputed credentials. As the nature of management courses requires industrial exposure of the students, industrialists can be invited to deliver lectures through interactive sessions, instead of having them in the apex decision-making body.
Hence to become an institution of national importance as visualised by the Government, IIMs need to be more inclusive.
(Anish Gupta and Aaleya Giri teach Economics and English respectively at Delhi University. They can be reached at pioneer.article@gmail.com)