Call it another pre-election sop for the middle-class or muddled policymaking. But days after the Government made it cheaper for students to take educational loans, it has gone ahead and decided to reduce tuition fees in the Indian Institutes of Management and increase the intake of students. The decision follows the recommendations of the U R Rao committee earlier this month.Speaking to The Indian Express tonight, Union H R D Minister Murli Manohar Joshi said: ‘‘We will decrease the fees and increase the number of seats in the IIMs much before the next academic session. We are taking this decision based on the UR Rao Committee report and the feedback we have received from the various stakeholders.’’Joshi’s argument to Infosys mentor N R Narayan Murthy, who is the chairman of the IIM Ahmedabad board of governors, at an hour-long meeting today was that the IIMs should ‘‘cater to all sections of society.’’‘‘India needs managers not just for the corporate houses but for cooperative sector, for local self-government, education institutions and hospitals. These institutions must become affordable and accessible. I made it clear to Mr Narayan Murthy that quality does not go down by having more students.’’Joshi said Murthy had ‘‘agreed’’ with him, both on the reduction of the fees and increasing the strength of the student community though he had said that the IIM would give its ‘‘inputs’’ to the ministry.Currently, tuition at IIM is roughly Rs 1.5 lakh a year and the Government subsidises a student to the tune of Rs 2.5 lakh per annum.‘‘I have told them why are you not using the money? (IIMA has a corpus of Rs 98 crore) Employ more people in the faculty, make more hostels,’’ Joshi said. After his meeting, Murthy called for a wideranging debate on the Rao committee proposals. He said he agreed with Joshi that IIMs should not become elitist institutions, if that meant restricting access to a select few. ‘‘However, if the term elitist means excellence, then I will say we should turn all the people of India into elite,’’ he said. He pointed out that the parents of 18 pc of students who got admissions in IIMs earned less than Rs. 1,50,000 a year. When asked about the charge that the Government was trying to interfere into the functioning of IIMs, Joshi said: ‘‘I have appointed the country’s top professionals on the board of governors. There is no bureaucrat or politician on these bodies. The IITs and NITs are run by top level technocrats. I have removed ministers from their headships. I challenge anyone, any V-C, Governor, or Director to show that the Ministry has interfered in academic matters.’’
