The Indian Institutes of Management can now set up campuses abroad.
After advocating more autonomy to the premier management institutes and giving them the power to grants degrees, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar introduced the IIM Bill 2017 in the Lok Sabha on 9th Feb 2017.
This would confer statutory powers on them.
As per the bill, IIMs will be allowed “to set-up centres of management studies and allied areas outside India in accordance with guidelines laid down by the Central Government and in accordance with the provisions of the laws in force in such foreign country”.
IIMs would be declared as “institutions of national importance” with Board of Governors (BOG) as the principal executive body of each of them.
The bill also empowers IIMs to appoint their own chairperson.
The BOG will appoint the director (now termed Chief Executive Officer) of IIMs, who has so far been appointed by Centre.
The search-cum-selection committee to be constituted by the board will consist of chairperson and three members chosen from eminent administrators, industrialists, educationists, scientists, technocrats and management specialists.
The BOG of each institute shall consist of a chairperson, one nominee each of Centre and state government, four eminent persons (including a woman) distinguished in fields of education, industry, commerce, social service or public administration.
Two faculty members, one member from SC or ST and up to five persons co-opted from the alumni or who are members of the society of the existing institute would also be members of the Board.
It will have at least three women members.
An earlier draft of the Bill had the provision of the President being the Visitor and choosing the director.
The HRD ministry removed the provision to grant more autonomy to the institutes.
IIMs till now had been registered as societies and unable to grant degrees, including PhD, to their students.
Reservation in admissions will be provided as per Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006.
The Governing Board of IIMs will evaluate and review the performance of the institute within first three years of establishment and thereafter at least once in every three years.
The bill also lays down that there would be a Coordination Forum, with an eminent person as its chairman. This forum would discuss issues which are of common interest to all the IIMs.
IIMs: Know More- The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) are a group of 20 public, autonomous institutes of management education and research in India.
- They primarily offer postgraduate, doctoral and executive education programmes.
- The establishment of IIMs was initiated by Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India.
- This was based on the recommendation of the Planning Commission.
