IIMs and Governments

The HRD ministry is clearly pissed off at the order of the SC over the OBC reservation issue and now it is finding ways to redeem its power by being strict with the IIMs. This ministry which is trying hard to show how much it cares for one class of students is willing to put the future of many others in limbo by not being clear on when the admission results of the IIMs can be declared.

The IIMs had asserted their autonomy by declaring a deadline of 21 April to declare the results but it appears that they had to finally bow to the wishes of Mr. Arjun Singh. The decision to defer the 21 April deadline was welcome as the court hearing on the government appeal was scheduled on 23rd. A two day delay which could result in better clarity was logical. But now, even after the court has made it clear that the reservations for OBC will not go ahead from this academic year, the IIMs are still waiting for a ‘directive’ from the HRD ministry before deciding on anything. Mr. Dholakia told the press that the IIM directors need to meet before deciding on anything. With the delay that has already happened in the admission process, it would have been prudent for the IIM directors to have anticipated the different scenarios and the SC’s decision and to have reached decisions on various scenarios so that once the SC decision was actually out, immediate action could have been taken and a further meeting of the directors was not needed. This would have speeded up the result declaration process and would have put to rest the anxiety of the thousands of IIM aspirant awaiting their results. Maybe this is a deliberate move to avoid a standoff with the ministry; I just hope!

However, the ministry has realized that its power can be undermined by the IIMs in the current structure and so is contemplating an Act to make the IIMs answerable to the parliament [1]. It is sad to see that the politicians, in their urge for power, can go against all rationality and try to meddle with an efficient system. IIMs and their Alumni have done India proud on the both the national and international scene. It is not without reason that bright young men and women, many of whom have cozy jobs, want to slog it out and become ‘IIM grads’. This is because of the way IIMs have functioned and the standards they have set for management education in the country. The fact that politicians, who mainly attain their post because of either playing with public sentiment or by brute force, see themselves competent enough to run these institutions of repute is a ridicule of the existing management, faculty and students of these institutions and is unacceptable.

The only involvement that IIMs and politicians should think of is training IIM grads to become able government administrators. The political parties can participate in the campus placements and ‘recruit’ these students directly into the parliament and policy making bodies of the country. If these institutions are of such high standards that entry of under privileged classes into these institutions is the only way to ensure their social upliftment, then I am sure that the graduates from these institutes would be capable enough in running the country and taking it towards its dream of social justice and equality. After all, they have proven themselves on various national and international arena and are successfully running large organizations all across the world. I hope the HRD ministry starts looking at the IIMs as an asset and incubator of future leaders rather than use them as a means to serve political ends.

IIM Campus Report 2020:

‘..The largest recruiter this year too has been the Government of India (GOI) with 23 offers for their various parliamentary positions. The recruiting panel this year consisted of none other than the President himself along with the PM and the Defence Minister. “I am thrilled with the ideas and value system that these young minds bring to the table. Interacting with them gives me hope that we are handing down India into good hands”, commented the President. Meanwhile the GOI has become the most sought after recruiter in all IIMs with students preferring to GOI roles over high paying and overseas offers..’

[1]
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/IIMs_likely_to_lose_autonomy/articleshow/1946866.cms