In 2023, Lok Sabha passed the Indian Institute of Management (Amendment) Bill, which has raised concerns about the autonomy of the institutes. The amendments grant the government a say in the functioning of these institutes, diluting the full autonomy they were granted in 2017.
According to The Indian Express, the amendments were assented on September 14 of the previous year during a meeting attended by Directors of the newer IIMs. Notably, Directors of the older IIMs in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Indore, Lucknow, and Kozhikode were not invited to the meeting and were not consulted before the amendments were laid out.
Mahadeo Jaiswal, the Director of IIM Sambalpur, revealed that a meeting took place between the Directors of the management institutes and the Secretary of Higher Education in New Delhi on the aforementioned date. The government sought the opinion of the newer IIMs regarding its role in these institutions, and a majority of them were in favor of the government having a role. They believed that having the President as the Visitor would provide a higher authority and prevent control by a private person. The newer IIMs saw this as an opportunity to enhance their stature, similar to the IITs and Central universities.
Jaiswal and Shishir Bajoria, Chairperson of the Board of Governors of IIM Shillong, assured that the autonomy of the management institutes is not compromised by the amendments. They emphasized that the Board’s decisions would still be influential.
On the other hand, the former Director of a second-generation IIM, now a member of the Board of a newer IIM, stated that the need for government intervention is unnecessary, as the Board of Governors and the alumni base, especially of the older IIMs, already perform the role of maintaining checks and balances.
Directors of two older IIMs, who were not part of the meeting, expressed their disappointment at not being consulted. They acknowledged that the Act might have required some amendments, but the current amendments went too far and were a reaction to the issues faced by only a few IIMs in the past.
The second Director stressed the importance of wider discussions before introducing changes that could potentially impact the autonomy of the institutes. Autonomy played a significant role in the institutes’ rise in the QS rankings, and they believe it could fuel further growth.
The amendments grant the Visitor the power to appoint the Chairperson to the Board of Governors and nominate an individual to the search-cum-selection committee for the Director’s position, giving the government influence over these crucial decisions. Additionally, the Visitor will also have the power to appoint the Chairperson to the Coordination Forum of the institute.