Bakul Dholakia

AHMEDABAD: The Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, has agreed to implement the 27 per cent quota for the socially and economically backward classes from the next academic year.

On Friday, the board of governors, which met under the chairmanship of N.R. Narayana Murthy, approved the "re-location" plan to create the additional facilities required for implementing the quota for the Other Backward Classes in the next three years.

Briefing mediapersons after the meeting, Mr. Murthy and IIM-A director Bakul Dholakia said that to implement the quota, the institution would have to expand its capacity by 54 per cent.

Mr. Dholakia said 10 per cent capacity would be increased in the academic year 2007-2008, 28 per cent in the next academic year, and 54 per cent in the third.

Mr. Murthy said the IIM-A, which had not accepted government grants for the last four years, would approach the Centre for a one-time grant for capital expenditure for creating infrastructure for implementing the quota. Though the corpus fund built up by the IIMA was "too small when compared to international standards, it would meet the recurring expenses from its own internal resources."

Despite the implementation of the quota, there would be "no compromise" on the quality of education. "All students, in the reservation or the general category, will have to carry the IIM-A brand image, and we will ensure that the quality of the students passing out is maintained at the existing high standard," Mr. Murthy said.

Mr. Dholakia said the board agreed to reconsider the master plan for the new campus, and decided to release the land earmarked for building a sports complex to construct hostels for the additional students it will take in. The IIM-A would approach the Gujarat Government for additional land, if possible, near the existing campus, to shift the proposed sports complex and residential quarters for the faculty.

The board approved the proposal for the recruitment of additional faculty members as well as bridging the existing 20 per cent shortage, being met by visiting faculty. It also approved the creation of a "gender resource centre," which would primarily function as a research centre, and the setting up of an international advisory council.

Mr. Murthy said the council, to be chaired by academician M.N. Banga, would be the first such in the country and work for expanding the institution's image and network.

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