There is no need to hijack or curb the autonomy of an institute which is already a gem of excellence. Rather, the government should concentrate on furthering its accountability to institutions under its watch (“ >Let IIMs be free of government stranglehold ”, June 26). I can think of the example of the Film and Television Institute of India, another institute of excellence, but one that has been neglected. Autonomy is a tribute to the IIMs for their brilliance and standards of excellence.
Pragya Tanwar,
Bhiwani, Haryana
It is simply illogical and impractical to snatch away the freedom and autonomy of the IIMs which are doing absolutely fine at the moment and which are among the finest management institutions of the globe.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the IIMs will start to sink the moment they are bound to the Ministry of Human Resource Development. It should work for development and progression rather than degradation and regression.
Kapil Choudhary,
Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh
When Prime Minister Modi announced from the ramparts of Red Fort on August 15, 2014, that the Planning Commission is an old building which is in disrepair and that he proposed rebuilding it instead of renovating it, there was wide acceptance of the spirit behind the statement. That does not mean that truncating or replacing or the destruction of all organisations, systems and institutions which are there in their own rights will be welcomed by stakeholders. Sometime ago, the RBI Governor had put it bluntly: “Don’t fix it, if it’s not broken!”
There is enough already on the drawing board to keep the government of India busy; any attempt to crowd it further without attending to pending work will only be counterproductive and disastrous. Instead, it should concentrate on a review and revamp of the National Pension Scheme, financial sector reforms, and social security schemes instead of wading deep in the muddy waters of political expediency with an eye on being “popular”.
M.G. Warrier,
Mumbai
Several Ministers are under a cloud, among them being the HRD Minister whose academic credentials are in doubt. Given this situation, it is just not right for the government to start meddling in the running of prestigious institutions like the IIMs and the IITs. As it is, the quality of education in most institutions, both private and government, is suspect given the mushroom-like growth of institutions without instructors who are passionate about teaching, and when industry is crying hoarse over the industry-academia gap.
G. Padmanabhan,
Bengaluru
