Global network seeks Prez, PM intervention

A global network of the IIMs has sought “urgent intervention” of the President and the Prime Minister for making provision for reservation in appointment of faculties and admission of students to various doctoral programmes at the country’s premier B-schools in the IIM bill.

The bill, which seeks to provide complete autonomy and power to grant degrees to their students to the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), is pending in RS after being passed by LS.

Stating that the “missing” reservation provision in the bill is a violation of the Constitution, the network pointed out that IIMs do not provide “any reservation” benefit to faculties, candidates applying for enrolment to executive and doctoral programmes.

“Due to these acute shortcomings, we believe that the IIMs are not ready for autonomy and rushing through the pending Bill in its current form by the parliament must be avoided,” the Global IIM Alumni Network said in the letter addressed to President Ram Nath Kovind and PM Narendra Modi.

The open letter further drew their attention to the diversity data, obtained under the RTI Act, from top 10 IIMs and states. The data shows “severe under-representation” of Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Classes groups at the teaching and research-level positions at these management colleges.

The Ambedkar International Foundation, Ambedkar Association of North America, International Commission of Dalit Rights are some of the organisations that signed the letter under the aegis of the Global IIM Alumni Network. As per the pending IIM bill, a board of governors will oversee functioning of respective IIMs.

“It does not have any provision for representation of people from SC/ST/OBC (in the governing board),” the letter further stated.

The signatories also pointed out that the IIMs continue to deny reservation benefits despite several reminders from the human resource development ministry.

“This act of impunity by the IIMs is against their own mission statements of nation building,” the network said.

NEWDELHI: