Bhargava panel: IIM directors junk most recommendations

Almost all the recommendations made by the IIM review committee,headed by Maruti Udyog chairman R C Bhargava....

Almost all the recommendations made by the IIM review committee,headed by Maruti Udyog chairman R C Bhargava,have been rejected by the IIM directors in a collective response made to the Human Resource Development HRD Ministry.

After facing criticism on the ministry-constituted committees report with all IIMs responding against its content,the ministry had attempted consensus building with the IIM directors in April this year. At a meeting with the directors,the ministry had asked them to discuss the recommendations collectively and see what was acceptable and worth implementing.

It is learnt that the IIM directors have unanimously expressed their views against the recommendations and have protested against the idea of a pan-IIM board an umbrella body proposed by the committee to co-ordinate between all the seven IIMs and the new IIMs that will come up.

The pan-IIM board is most unacceptable to the IIM directors and the same was conveyed to the ministry. That way the collective response has actually echoed what individual IIMs had said on the issue. Mentoring of new IIMs and extensive IT usage,also recommended in the report,have,however,been accepted as worth implementing, said an official.

The 40-page Bhargava Committee report has made 22 recommendations,making a case for stronger government role in the boards of the IIMs and has clearly stated that IIMs cannot expect to become fully independent of the government. The report further called for reconstitution and downsizing of all IIM boards,and consultancy and executive training to be balanced with the core activity of teaching.

In its response to the report,IIM Bangalore had written to the ministry saying,This is not a Vision of Excellence that will make IIMs thought leaders. This is a vision of heavy handed regulation and control.

Stating that the committee report tries to paint IIMs as institutions that require to be reminded and controlled from a central body,IIM Bangalore contended that the accompanying recommendations had inherent structural weaknesses and will stand in the way of developing strong Institutions. Other IIMs had argued that the move to create a pan-IIM board would affect their autonomy.

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The only recommendations that have found some favour with the IIM directors is that of extensive use of IT at IIMs besides a conditional mentoring formulae for new IIMs. The IIMs had earlier shown reluctance to mentor the six new IIMs that the HRD ministry proposes to set up. The IIMs,however,have agreed to help the new IIMs recruit faculty,develop curriculum and administration structure besides sharing case aids and curricula material.