IIM-B Society to decide on fee

The chairman of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, S M Dutta, has left the decision on the fee cut issue to the discretion of the IIM-B Society.

Dutta is also the chairman of the society, which will now meet in early May to resolve on the matter. A 15-day notice period is required to call a meeting of the society.

However, Prakash Apte, director of IIM-Bangalore, told Business Standard the institute's board had not agreed to the ministry's fee cut order.

"We have not agreed to the fee cut order issued by the human resources development ministry on February 5," Apte said.

When told HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi, during his two-day election campaign in Gujarat, had been insisting that five out of the six IIMs, including IIM-Bangalore, had agreed to the order, Apte said, "It is wrong and I think the minister is being misinformed. I do not know who is doing it and for what reason."

Apte also said the meeting of the IIM-Bangalore Society would be called soon and a resolution would be passed to clarify the stand of the institute.

The decision will come before this year's batch of students for the post-graduate programme can be sent their admission letters. The institute will have to mention details of the fees to be paid in the admission letters.

The IIM-B seems to be quick on the uptake and does not want a situation like IIM-Kolkata, where chairman YC Deveshwar unilaterally agreed to the fee cut, much to the disappointment of the school's faculty and other board members. The IIM-Bangalore Society is a larger body compared with the board. While all members of the society need not be members of the board, the members of the board are members of the society.

The board comprises 25 people, while the society has an additional 6.

According to an IIM-B source, Dutta felt that since there are many sides of arguments linked with the issue of fee cut, it is best addressed by the Society as it comprises more people.