IIM Bill

IIM Bill: Should it be for All IIMs?

I think a lot has changed in recent years regarding the autonomy to IIMs than what Times of India reported today. To the best of my understanding the Ministry of HRD has already given a lot of autonomy to older IIMs and support to IIMs and particularly the new IIMs. They have encouraged the older IIMs to mentor the new ones and have supported the new ones with a large heart in terms of Infrastructure and other support. They also have a lot of freedom to make their own programs and courses and appoint faculty etc. This is largely due to the work done by Chairpersons of IIMs like Mr. Narayana Murthy, Ajit Balakrishnan, Mukesh Ambani etc and also due to the perceptive and forward thinking Ministers and Civil Servants in MHRD. The MHRD even allowed IIMA to have its Society and Board play a more significant role than before in the selection of the Director and other matters. The problem of MHRD interference that existed a decade ago does not exist to the best of my knowledge. When there was an attempt to interfere during Mr. Narayana Murthy's time a large number of Alumni and Faculty protested and a lot was written at that time about the interference by the Ministry. Consequently a lot more autonomy was earned by the IIMs.

However the fear that the new bill attempts to undo what good has been done in recent years is real. This is because with change in Ministers and Bureaucracy periodically, there is no guarantee that some of them could tamper with Institutions of Excellence. This is what needs to be protected. The bill legitimises the path to tamper with autonomy and kill it excellence.  The MHRD always has access to question the IIMs on matters of excellence. Every IIM has accountability to its stake holders. Such accountability has been amply demonstrated by institutions like IIMA, IIMB IIMC and IIML which have 25 to 50 years of existence. The other IIMs are also on way to the same as they are all emulating the experience of the older IIMs. 

The contributions of Dr Vikram Sarabahi and Ravi Matthai have been the guiding principles for accountable- autonomy in all these institutions. It is this self imposed accountability coupled with autonomy that increases excellence. The autonomy has been used so far in creating courses of excellence, programs of excellence and relevance not only to corporate sector but also to other sectors. For example over 8,000 research reports have been done at IIMA alone for the Agriculture field. Because a large percent of their research is in Agriculture and is meant for India's consumption it does not get published in foreign journals putting IIMA behind other International Institutions wrongly structured International ratings.   Autonomy was used by IIMs to have their own Personnel policies (not compensation), academic programs, administrative and governance structure and processes for faculty and academic culture that encourages innovations and relevance. There is a well designed and debated faculty work planning evaluation system in the IIMs. The price IIMs had to pay for this is not to have a Degree granting status.

Dr Sarabhai, Ravi Matthai and others at IIMC in mid 1960s have recognised this and promoted the PGDM as equivalent to MBA. IIMA resisted even Harvard’s attempt to call it a Indian Institute of Business Management as IIMs had larger vision. They carefully resisted the attempts of Government to give them a degree granting status as the price they had to pay is in terms of excellence. I am told once by Ravi Matthai that Pundit Nehru appreciated this and has not insisted on a bill to be passed in the Parliament. The PGDM has become such an acceptable thing in twenty years, thanks to IIMA, B and C; the new AICTE under the New Education Policy in 1986 had to mandated themselves as the agency to recognise the PGDM courses offered by all other institutions. Given this history it will be very unfortunate if MHRD takes a retrogressive step to get IIMs to give degrees and take away the route to excellence that has been built over the years. I hope good sense prevails among those who started this initiative. Of course on the part of IIMs they are required to demonstrate constantly that they are accountable. As Ravi Matthai said once autonomy has to be earned every day. So far IIMs  have done it well and that is what makes the bill redundant. 

Even if it has to be done for the sake of new IIMs why destroy the excellence of old IIMs. Most faculty there have joined them looking at the freedom to excel and it should not be disturbed by a few who don't seem to have an understanding of what it takes to build excellence in the country.