Business ethics and environment management would continue to be the guiding principles of business leaders moulded at the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode (IIM-K), A.C. Muthiah, chairman of the IIM-K Board of Governors and Society, said at the 12th annual convocation of the B school on Saturday.
More programmes were in the pipeline for the development of the institute as a global management school of excellence, he said. It was proposed to expand the institute's scenic campus by acquiring 15 acres of adjoining land, primarily to augment water resources. Fulfilling the requirement of admission to students belonging to the Other Backward Classes as directed by the Centre during 2009-10 was a major achievement of the IIM-K.
It “is the only institution in the entire country to do this ahead of schedule. It has grown over the last 14 years to become a leading management institute in the South-East Asia region today,” Dr. Muthiah said.
The IIM-K established a number of international linkages in the form of academic exchange agreements with top business schools. These include the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand and the Jon Ko Ping Business School, Sweden, apart from ESCP-EAP Paris, the European Business School (EBS), Germany; the Bocconi University, Milan, Italy; the Copenhagen Business School, Denmark; and the Queensland University of Technology, Australia.
Union Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal awarded degrees to students.
Talking to journalists, the Minister refuted allegations that the proposed Foreign Universities Bill would infringe upon the rights of the State.
The principal objective was to ensure that education was pro-student. The State governments would be consulted and brainstorming sessions held with all stakeholders before the Bill was made law, he said.
About critical comments being made about the Bill, Mr. Sibal said, “The questions being raised are political…We should look at it from an academic viewpoint...we should be pro-student.”
The government's intention in bringing in the legislation was to withdraw from the field of education and give more autonomy to institutions in the higher education sector.
It wanted to ensure depoliticisation of the education sector. With this end in view, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) had been entrusted with improving the quality of higher education.
Mr. Sibal said the government wanted to keep politics out of the appointment of Vice-Chancellors. When a Vice-Chancellor was appointed by a government, he or she would be seen as a political appointee, he said.
Replying to questions, he said when a foreign university entered into a tie-up with a State government institution, the rules governing reservation and other factors applicable in that State would have to be followed.
If the collaboration involved a Central agency and a foreign university, the laws guiding Central institutions would be binding on the agencies concerned.
To another question, the Minister confirmed that he had withdrawn the quota for MPs in admission to Kendriya Vidyalaya–run schools. From this year, there would be no quota for MPs. “The quota in schools for MPs or Ministers is anathema to democracy.” He appealed to all to give up these privileges.
