IIMs to discuss reforms today

The Indian Institutes of Management and the government on Wednesday hope to seal a reform blueprint for the country's top B-schools based on a set of three reports aimed at enabling the IIMs to emerge as global leaders.

The Indian Institutes of Management and the government on Wednesday hope to seal a reform blueprint for the country's top B-schools based on a set of three reports aimed at enabling the IIMs to emerge as global leaders.

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Greater autonomy coupled with performance evaluation of faculty and research are key aspects of the proposed reforms which IIM Directors will discuss with HRD minister Kapil Sibal, government sources told HT. The discussions are crucial because influential sections within the IIMs are not comfortable with some of the proposals, Institute sources said.

One of the three panels set up by the government earlier this year, headed by IIM Calcutta chairman Ajit Balakrishnan, has suggested that the IIMs focus on increasing research output from about 50 PhDs annually at present to 150. The panel has suggested the government fund up to Rs30 lakh for each PhD scholar.

"PhD research is not something from which the IIMs earn any revenue, which is why we need the government's financial support if we are to increase our PhD output," a member of the panel said. The panel has also suggested that teachers at the IIMs teach up to 160 hours in classes annually. This proposal is the subject of discussion among teachers.