IIMs Discards HRD Recommendations on Teaching Hours & Smaller Boards

Bangalore: The faculties of the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) discarded the HRD Ministry’s appointed committee reports on the new governance structure and teaching load. IIMs faculties have trashed the suggestions citing that they are based on incorrect data. As per sources, faculty bodies at IIM-Calcutta and IIM-Bangalore have passed common resolutions to set aside the reports which suggest reducing the size of IIM boards and societies and asking each faculty to teach for 160 hours a year. Moreover, other IIMs are likely to follow suit seeking broader consultation on the proposed reforms.

Last week, IIM-B faculty in a memorandum submitted to board of governors chairman Mukesh Ambani has said that they believe that these recommendations are the outcome of several wrong assumptions and incorrect data and would not allow IIMs to become global leaders. It also recommends that these changes, if implemented, will have a negative impact on the morale of the faculty. Besides, they have now called for a fresh panel involving alumni and eminent academics to create a governance structure for long-term development of IIMs.

Furthermore, a five-member committee headed by IIM-Ranchi chairman R C Bhargava had recommended reducing the size of the IIM boards and societies by almost half, and allowing corporate bodies, individuals and alumni to become members of the IIM society by paying Rs 20 crore, Rs 5 crore and Rs 3 crore respectively. However, the IIM-B faculty rejected the idea saying that this will lead to a major structural change in the ownership of IIMs and would be completely against public interest. It also added that they believe that contribution for the society should be more in the nature of developing institutions rather than owning the institutions. Besides, the dons at the elite B-schools have also taken exception to the HRD ministry's decision to fix a minimum teaching load for faculty which will be the same for all IIMs.