General Management @ Knowledge Zone



Educational Policy Reform: The Battle Ahead!

by Prof. P. V. Ramana *

Part - I

Too much attention is being focused on the IIMs and too little on the need for wholesale revision of the Educational Policy Reforms that are needed.

At a personal level, my opinion is that the population set affected by the controversy is too small to affect anything that India does or is. It is news, just like the Placement scene in IIMs is news. The IIM's as a whole admit about 1200 to 1500 in a year, and have perhaps a total of 30,000 or less alumni. How many IIM grads have founded institutions in this country? The builders of India are the Tata's, Birla's Ambani's amd Mittal's and a host of entrepreneurs who are not IIM alumni, but do hire a great number of IIM and IIT graduates, and other good quality Engineers, Scientists and Managers in far greater numbers!

Let us understand that it is the silent majority that delivers and will suffer the greatest if Educational Reform is not advocated vigorously. The battle for autonomy of IIMs is only symbolic and news worthy. The war has to be won in the plains, and that is where 99% of the Institutions of Higher Education are!

Looking to the latest news reports, IIMs are hoping for a compromise which will involve some or all of the following: -

  • A set of guide lines for functioning of IIM Boards as distinct from IIM Societies

  • A "free" and "payment" seat policy as a temporary measure (This has already been struck hard by the SC and is not likely to last long)

  • More Scholarships

  • More Government Subsidy, with "sophisticated" strings for disbursement and eligibility

  • A policy for selection of IIM Directors, some what on the lines of appointment of Vice-Chancellors of Universities

  • A gradual and honorable retreat/exit policy for existing high-profile Board Chairmen

  • A gradual transformation of IIMs to a level of Central Universities

  • Acknowledgment of control of MHRD, UGC and AICTE over these institutions

If this will come to pass, it is a disaster! We hope that the Mentor will see through the set of all possible outcomes and pilot IIM-A to a safe landing!

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* Contributed by: -
Prof. P. V. Ramana; BE (Hons) Elec. Engg. from Andhra University, Waltair, India; MBA (Accounting & Finance) from Washington State University, USA; Prof. Engr. (Thermal Power), USA (equiv. to a Doctoral qualification); Receiver of Life Time Achievement award in 2003 for service to Management Education given by World HRD Congress, Boston, USA; he has also founded ITM Group in 1991 and is the current chairman.