'Board must decide fee'

The faculty of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore, has sought greater autonomy for the institute and said the board of governors should be allowed to determine the fee structure.

"We believe in good conscience that we cannot favour greater subsidy to all students. Only the economically weakest should be considered for this, and IIM, Bangalore, is already doing that. We recommend that all students pay the fee determined by the board. However, if the ministry of human resources development (HRD) or any other ministry or department in the government of India wishes to provide any additional subsidy, it can directly remit subsidies to admitted students or route these through IIM, Bangalore," a resolution submitted by the faculty said.

The resolution assumes significance in the light of the HRD ministry's recommendation that the IIMs reduce their fees. It also indicates various measures that the board may wish to pursue as part of a long-term financing strategy.

"IIM, Bangalore will meet all its operational funds requirement on its own with a clear caveat that no student has to reject an offer or discontinue education because of lack of finances. IIM, Bangalore, will continue to provide targeted financial aid as at present. The board of IIM, Bangalore, takes charge of its finances including funding of capital expenditure. The faculty will be glad to help the board raise finances," it said.

"To excel, governance should be in the hands of people who are constantly in touch with these changes. Hence autonomy is essential," it added.

"We are fully committed to academic excellence, performance, social responsibility and contemporary relevance. This will continue to be the Institute's focus in the years to come. We believe that this can best be achieved by preserving the financial, administrative and academic autonomy of IIM, Bangalore. We have full confidence that the Board, as the body responsible for the effective governance of this institution, will represent the cause of this Institute with the Government of India," the resolution went on to say.

"We have built a platform from which we can aspire to be a leading school globally. Our concern with the series of recommendations of the HRD ministry, including most recently, the fee reduction, is that though well-intentioned, they will weaken us as an institution and act as a stumbling block in our on going efforts to build IIM, Bangalore, as an institution of global excellence that the country can be proud of," it added.