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Journalism of Courage
With Indian Institutes of Management again opposing the Centres attempt to set up an overarching pan-IIM council on the ground that it would undermine their autonomy,the HRD ministry has come up with a more palatable proposal.
The proposal for the council was revived in the draft Indian Institutes of Management Bill,which promises degree-granting powers to IIMs. The council was first mooted by R C Bhargava Committee in 2008 and IIMs had promptly shot it down.
Now,the ministry has factored in their concerns over the unwieldiness of a 50-member council and proposed,in a consensus document,that technical secretaries from the 13 states that host IIMs need not be part of the council since they are on their respective IIMs Board of Governors.
It has clarified that the council would have no powers that could threaten autonomy of IIMs and would only serve as a mechanism for coordination and exchange of ideas.
The ministry has agreed to accommodate IIM-Ahmedabad and IIM-Bangalores concerns on dissolution of IIM Societies as proposed in the draft Bill. IIMs often accommodate their prominent donors in these societies. The ministry has agreed to insert a clause to ensure some members of the societies could be accommodated in the IIM Boards.
Centre plans new body for NET,GATE
The HRD ministry plans to set up a National Testing Agency to conduct NET and GATE from 2014. The proposal would be discussed by the Central Advisory Board of Education next month. HRD Minister M M Pallam Raju last week had announced that eligibility norms would be relaxed in 13 states to meet the huge shortfall of teachers required for implementation of the Right to Education Act. States are expected to implement RTE by March 31. ENS
