Prakash Javadekar asks IIM chiefs for plan to increase students intake

Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said the IIMs would also participate in the new initiative of the government to make 20 world-class universities/institutes.

Shillong: Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday asked the Directors and Chairmen of 20 Indian Institutes of Management to submit plans for expansion of their intake capacity from 10,000 to 20,000 students.

Javadekar`s instruction came during his meeting with the Directors and Chairman of the B-schools, which was held at the Indian Institute Management-Shillong campus on Tuesday morning.

"We have decided to increase the intake capacity of students from 10,000 to 20,000 so that more students will get an opportunity to take part in these best institutes. All (IIM) Directors have also narrated how they are ready for how much expansion and if there are problems they will mention it and submit action plans on expansion of students intake," Javadekar told journalists.

Apart from increasing the B-schools` intake capacity, the minister said, "The IIMs have also decided to expand (the number of) doctoral programmes (PhD programmes) to address the shortage of faculty through creating quality PhDs."

"We also discussed how to expand PhD programmes by offering IIM scholars more fellowships. As in Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) Council, we have decided to give Prime Minister Research Fellowship. We will also take government`s approval for Prime Minister`s scholarship for the best of the best PhD scholars in IIMs. But the final decision will be taken by the cabinet," he stated.

On Prime Minister Research Fellowship for IIT scholars, Javadekar said, "The IITs already have their own funding. Therefore, we also want to provide these benefits for IIM scholars, and necessary sanction will be given to this soon."

Javadekar said the IIMs would also participate in the new initiative of the government to make 20 world-class universities/institutes.

"The government will create world-class institutes -- ten in the government sector and ten in the private sector. Therefore, the IIMs should also prepare themselves because these world-class institutes will be decided finally by challenge mode," he said.

Asked whether any of the proposed world-class universities/institutes will be established in the northeastern states, the Union Minister said, "As I said, everybody will participate... As you know, after Modi became Prime Minister, the whole focus on northeast has increased not only in academic but in every sector. Therefore, this programme will be finalised and declared soon after cabinet approval."

The minister said that the IIMs will create content for the online course `SWAYAM` also.

On the shortage of teaching faculty in the IIMs, Javadekar said, "Unlike in the IITs where we have 30 per cent shortage of teachers, in IIMs it is not much. However, we have also discussed this in our meeting how to inculcate teachership in students, how to promote doctoral research programmes, how to expand it, and how to bring the best of Indian students studying abroad as faculty, which will also be worked out."

Asked if the government plans to have a reservation for the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and the Other Backward Castes in teaching jobs at IIMs, all set up by the government, Javadekar said, "I do not know who started all this. It`s already in the Constitution, no one can bypass the Constitution. So reservation is already there."

Denying that educational institutions have turned into "hotbed of politics" in India bringing down the quality of education, Javadekar said that the main focus of students is still academics.

"That is why we started national ranking framework which is appreciated and this time will be expanded. So it is evaluating the institutes correctly so that a good national ranking framework (is developed) and we have brought our own national ranking framework and more importantly, we have found out that even in world/international ranking there is weightage of perception, (which) is nearly 40 per cent, perception about the institutes," he said.

He said the government has also decided to start an outreach programmes with alumni and Indian diaspora for their active participation, and to bring more foreign students/foreign faculties, more exchanges between India and foreign countries which would help in creating right perception about the Indian institutes and then we will get right place in international ranking also.

On disturbance in universities campuses, Javadekar said, "I think the collective wisdom will prevail ultimately. The campuses that used to get disturbed over the years are now more disciplined. I believe that collective wisdom prevails."