Ahmedabad: Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) will reduce the number of members in its governing board from 25 to 15. Also, the new board constituted will be authorized to appoint the institute's director. As per sources, these changes have been approved by the union ministry of human resource and development (MHRD), but are yet to be cleared by the IIM-A society. Besides, the institute also plans to open campuses in Dubai and Singapore.
In a press conference on Wednesday i.e. February 16, 2011, Director of IIM-A Samir Barua has said that many board members may not be able to contribute effectively. He said that having a large number of members with less participation reduce the board's effectiveness. So, it is better to have fewer members in the board and ensure that it functions effectively. Moreover, he said that studies have shown that 9 to 13 members is the most effective size He also informed that the final picture will be clear by the end of March.
Presently, there are four government representatives, two each from the state and centre, in the 25-member governing board. According to Mr Barua while the ministry wants three government representatives in the council, they have proposed to make it two. Besides, the institute has been demanding greater autonomy and control over its functioning. Barua also said that the ministry has approved many of its demands, including that of the governing council appointing the new director.
The IIM-A can now compensate its faculties through its own resources and can open campuses outside the country. In addition, Barua has said that the institute plans campuses in Dubai and Singapore, but it will take them more than a year to set up the institute there. Furthermore, according to Barua has said that foreign faculties are not very keen to come and teach at IIM-A because of the low compensation. He said that although IM-A's PGP and PGPX programmes have been ranked among the top management programmes across the world, more autonomy will help the institute reach newer heights. He also added that with more autonomy will come more responsibilities, and they will be able to work better.
