HRD minister convenes meeting of IIM Directors next week

Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar has called a meeting of IIM Directors next week to review the working of the premier management institutes.
Javadekar told reporters today that the chairmen and directors of the IIMs will gather at Indian Institute of Management(IIM), Shillong on September 20 for the meeting.
The Minister said that this was part of his efforts to understand the functioning of the prestigious institutes.
"I recently held meetings of Councils of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) in Delhi," he said.
"I also plan to hold such meetings with National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and central universities. I am conducting a review of all institutes," he added.

Javadekar earlier visited the IIM here to interact with faculty members and students.

He also said that a Bill, which aims to provide IIMs more autonomy in their governance and allow them to offer degree courses, is currently at a "proposal" stage.
"The IIM Bill will provide more autonomy to the IIMs, and allow them to offer degree courses, which they cannot do now because of their status as a society. We will amend existing laws like we did for IITs and NITs to allow them to offer degree courses," he said.
"The new Bill is at proposal stage. It will be taken up by different ministries which will offer their recommendations. It will then go to the Cabinet, and then to Parliament," the Minister said.

"What our government intends is to allow more autonomy to the IIMs and other higher educational institutes so that they grow on the basis of their quality," he said.
Javadekar said the Modi government is working in the direction of "improving the quality of education.
"Our aim is to promote education and make it accessible to all. From KG to PG, 27 crore students are taking education. Our aim is to improve the quality of education."
The government is in dialogue with stakeholders to frame an "effective (education) policy", he said.