Top 50 B-schools may get degree-issuing powers to compete with IIMs

Non-IIM colleges are seeking these powers from HR ministry as they fear passing of IIM Bill will lead to recruiters, foreign partners questioning validity of their diplomas

The Union government is considering to award "Institutes of Excellence" status to the top 50 non-IIM business schools to give them autonomy and bring them at par with the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) once the IIM Bill, 2017 is passed in the Lok Sabha.

The bill allows the IIMs greater autonomy and empowers them to grant degrees instead of diplomas, as is the practice now.

"The government has come up with few thoughts. The autonomy to IIMs is one which is much needed. There are institutions of eminence in India, part of IIMs, like the top 100 PGDM institutes which are self-funded. They are doing good enough work in regard to management education", Anil Rao Paila, president of Association of Indian Management Schools told Business Standard.

The association has made representation to the government explaining why the top 100 institutions should get the autonomy as they are equally good as IIMs.

"Though there is no discussion on this yet. What the government is saying that they will identify some top 50 institutions across India who shall be as efficient or better like IIMs. They want to give these institutions a status of "Institutes of Excellence", he said.

However there is no clarity what is the criteria or parameters to identify these top 50 institutes, he added.

He doubted whether the top 50 will only be government organisations again or only the private institutes. He sought clarity about the funding to these institutes etc.

The non-IIM B-schools are seeking degree-granting power from the human resource ministry since they fear passing of the IIM Bill will lead to recruiters and foreign partners questioning the validity of diplomas.

Institutes likely to be affected the most would be XLRI, Jamshedpur; SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai; Birla Institute of Technology Management (BIMTECH) Greater Noida; and Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad.