IIMs call for change in CAT format for more student diversity

The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) need to have a more diverse student profile in terms of academic background and genders, directors of several IIMs have said, calling for a change in the Common Admission Test (CAT) format.

The directors of IIM, Calcutta, Bangalore, Indore and Ranchi noted that there had been a greater presence of engineering students in the institutions, and girls accounted for only 10 per cent of the students.

"We feel we need to change the way CAT is conducted. Despite efforts to get students from other backgrounds, the number of engineering students has actually increased. The blame is on our admission process," IIM Lucknow Director Devi Singh observed.

Singh and directors of other IIMs were speaking at a discussion programme on the occasion of the golden jubilee celebration of IIM Calcutta (IIM-C) last evening.

They all expressed concern over the quantitative bias in the CAT.

"We are now going to take the issue seriously but cannot assure whether this could happen from next academic year," IIM-C Director Shekhar Chaudhuri said.

It has been found, he said, that on an average girls account for only 10 per cent of the students studying in IIMs, while in other B schools, the average number is as high as 40 per cent.

The reason for high entry of engineering students into the IIMs is because the CAT gives emphasis on quantitative aptitude, IIM-Indore Director N Ravichandran said.

The Minister of State for Human Resource Development D Purandeswari had earlier stressed on inclusiveness of management education.

"Though, the demand for management education has increased by leaps and bounds, the IIMs have not been able to respond adequately," she had said while addressing the inaugural session of the IIM-C golden jubilee celebration.