IIM-Ahmedabad prof raises concern over Bill on IIMs

Premier academic institute - the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) - has asserted that if the proposed IIM Bill ends up micro-managing the institutions and the proposed coordination body is used to centralise powers, it would not augur well for autonomy of the institutes.

IIM-Ahmedabad director Professor Ashish Nanda said, "Autonomy is at the core of flourishing of academic institutions. The government can definitely oversee functioning of educational institutions from a distance, but micro-management is never good. It makes people in the academic institutions feel disempowered."

Nanda was speaking to mediapersons on Thursday on the sidelines of a seminar at financial institution IIFL, where former Planning Commission member and 1974 batch IIM-A alumni PP Pandey donated Rs 8 crore to set up a swimming pool and state-of-the-art auditorium at the institute.

The Narendra Modi government is aiming to finalise Indian Institutes of Management Bill , 2015, that proposes to create an umbrella body headed by the Union HRD minister and have chairpersons and directors of all IIMs as members.

"I feel the proof of this pudding is in the eating and not making. We do not know whether this body would be the highest decision-making body or have limited powers for coordination among various IIM s," Nanda said.

The Bill aims to empower the 13 premier B-schools to award degrees instead of diplomas to students taking the two-year MBA programme, make the President a visitor to all IIMs and introduce a uniform four-year term for all IIM chairpersons.

"I hope they had given some more time to study the Bill and give our views," the IIM-A director added. Nanda is trying to rope in funds from its alumni to refurbish the heritage campus built by Louis Kahn.

"Following the 2001 earthquake, we need Rs 100 crore to restore the structure to its past glory and built other infrastructure," Dean, (Alumni & External Relations) IIM-A Arvind Sahay said.

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