After the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), it is now the turn of the existing Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) to mentor the newer ones. However, they are likely to have a limited role in mentoring the new ones due to shortage of resources like faculty, staff and other operational requirements.
Last month, the central government approved the setting up seven new IIMs in addition to the existing seven. While four of them will start classes from the 2010-11 academic year, the other three will become functional a year later. Of the proposed IIMs, four will be set up in Trichy (Tamil Nadu), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Raipur (Chhattisgarh) and Rohtak (Haryana). They will start classes in the 2010-11 academic year.
The existing IIMs are in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore, Kozhikode and Shillong. As part of the hand holding exercise, Trichy will be taken care by IIM-Bangalore, Raipur by IIM-Indore, Ranchi will get the assistance from Kolkata, and Rohtak will get support from IIM-Lucknow. Each new IIM will start with 140 students and the number will go up to 560 eventually. The central government has already sanctioned Rs 451 crore as non-recurring expenditure and Rs 118 crore as recurring expenditure for the first phase of setting up IIMs.
However, unlike the existing IITs — which literally adopted the newer ones last year —, existing IIMs are neither providing temporary accommodation at their existing campuses nor adequate faculty to the new IIMs.
IIM Calcutta (IIM-C) will mentor IIM Ranchi for the next five years. Saibal Chattopadhyay, Dean IIM-C, said: “After the director is appointed for IIM Ranchi, we will start working on the curriculum and recruitment of faculty. Initially IIM Ranchi will operate from a temporary campus given by the Jharkhand government. We will start the flagship two-year post graduate program at IIM Ranchi. We will also start executive education program. Some of our existing faculty may help out with regular and short-term executive education courses at IIM Ranchi but there is no compulsion on any of our faculty members,” Chattopadhyay said. The first batch at IIM Ranchi is likely to have 60-100 students.
IIM Lucknow (IIM-L) will mentor IIM Rohtak. Devi Singh, Director, IIM-L, said: “We will assist IIM Rohtak in developing processes and policies. Final recruitment of faculty will start once the new director joins office. Initially, IIM Routak will operate from space provided to it by MD University in Rohtak. I am told there are enough classrooms, offices and hostels for the first batch.”
IIM Bangalore (IIM-B) will mentor IIM Trichy. Pankaj Chandra, Director, IIM-B, said,: “We are gathering all information regarding faculty appointment and are making other arrangements. A final call on things will be taken after the director’s appointment. As of now, IIM-B’s existing faculty may or may not take classes at IIM-Trichy since we have our own classes to take care of, and quality faculty crunch is still an unresolved issue.”
“IIM-B will design courses for IIM Trichy. Initially, IIM Trichy is likely to offer only the flagship two-year post-graduate program. Once adequate faculty is appointed, more courses could be introduced,” said Chandra. IIM Trichy is likely to put up its temporary campus and hostel facilities at BHEL and NIT. “It will take around four-five years for proper infrastructure to be in place for IIM-Trichy,” added Chandra.
