Quite a few newspapers and Television channels reported, in angry voices, that the autonomy of IIMs’ was under siege again. How can MM Joshi oops Arjun Singh not allow it to set up a campus abroad? Former Singapore PM Goh Chok Tong jumped into this debate and said it was "India’s loss". Mr N.R. Narayana Murthy, ever ready with a quote, spewed venom at the government decision while receiving an honorary degree in Kochi. Tsk tsk. The poor IIMs, held hostage by a madcap government.
But hey! Just a second. It turns out that the Memorandum of Association of IIM Bangalore does not allow it to establish a brick and mortar campus overseas. Oooh! I wonder why nobody is talking much about this humungous slip-up by IIM Bangalore. Surely something as elementary as this should have been taken care of even before thinking of venturing abroad. And if this is the same thoroughness with which IIM B will do things then may be they should not be allowed overseas after all. ;-) Juuusst kidding guys. But seriously, if someone working in a corporate entity goofed up like this he/she would have definitely got a black eye.
I guess in all this it helped that the reason given was so asinine. The IIMs are expected to handle all demand in India before venturing out. Sure! So it does it mean that all aspirants should get a seat?
Let’s wait and watch how things develop on this front. Should be interesting viewing.
But hey! Just a second. It turns out that the Memorandum of Association of IIM Bangalore does not allow it to establish a brick and mortar campus overseas. Oooh! I wonder why nobody is talking much about this humungous slip-up by IIM Bangalore. Surely something as elementary as this should have been taken care of even before thinking of venturing abroad. And if this is the same thoroughness with which IIM B will do things then may be they should not be allowed overseas after all. ;-) Juuusst kidding guys. But seriously, if someone working in a corporate entity goofed up like this he/she would have definitely got a black eye.
I guess in all this it helped that the reason given was so asinine. The IIMs are expected to handle all demand in India before venturing out. Sure! So it does it mean that all aspirants should get a seat?
Let’s wait and watch how things develop on this front. Should be interesting viewing.
2 comments:
Hi Narayan
Accepted your invitation to visit your blog ! I like the name ..most promising ! Yes, I did notice Arjun Singh saying that if it was incorporated into MoU they could do what they wanted..point also taken about MoU..but that is a mere technicality..the issue I think everyone is focussing on is autonomy of these institutions..the minister's first response was not, hey there is a problem with our MoU..his first point was that why are you going out when there is so much demand in India ? This seems like an afterthought which a sharp bureaucrat fished out..But that's another debate ! Keep up the blogging..
A lot of criticism of Arjun Singh's directive to the IIMs is based on a general antipathy to politicians and a reflection of the preveailing sentiment that "The Market is God".
I am no blind admirer of politicians, having said that i am also not inclined to agree with an individual merely because he or she has been a succesful businessman. If the point is that government should not interfere in the running of management Schools Institutes, the management schools should also oblige by not availing of any funds from the Government. I see no reason why the tax-payer needs to subsidise students who are all likely to earn 100K salaries working for investban banks in overseas locations.
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