Remove curbs before allowing foreign B-schools entry: IIM-A

The government should first remove restrictions and grant greater operational and financial autonomy to Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) before allowing entry to foreign B-schools, IIM Ahmedabad (IIM-A) director Samir Barua has said.

Comparing the situation with the pre-liberalistion period, Barua said,“The government had first removed restrictions on industry and then allowed entry of foreign players. IIMs want the same as we are not shy of competition.”

Foreign B-schools would be able to set up campuses in the country once the Foreign Universities Entry and Operations Bill is passed, Barua said.

The Union Cabinet has already approved the Bill for tabling in Parliament.

“How can we compete with foreign schools who do not face the kind of restrictive government regulations that we have to comply with? IIMs will soon slide into mediocrity as top foreign B-Schools would provide tough competition given their resources and brand names,” he said.

“Take, for example, Harvard Business School. It has endowments which are almost 3,000 times more than that of IIM-A. They will be able to attract the country’s best students and the best faculty,” the IIM-A chief said.

He also expressed disappointment that the RC Bhargava review committee appointed by the Union HRD ministry to recommend measures to strengthen IIMs has not made removal of restrictions.