Date:02/09/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/09/02/stories/2006090202690900.htm

National

Faculty shortage plea holds no water: IIMB founder-director

Anita Joshua

"Faculty supposed to put in double the work quantum"

NEW DELHI: The plea of faculty shortage made by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) to make out a case against increasing student intake in one year to provide 27 per cent reservation to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) has been contested by National Professor in Management and founder-director of IIM Bangalore N.S. Ramaswamy. Also, he is against subsidising fees and has suggested an education loan system as IIM pass-outs can pay back within three years.

In a note to the Government and the Oversight Committee — entrusted with the task of preparing a roadmap for implementing OBC reservation in Central educational institutions — Prof. Ramaswamy contended that the faculty in all the IIMs were putting in just about half the number of hours of work they were supposed to put in as per a decision taken by the faculty four decades ago.

He said each IIM on an average had a 100-member strong faculty.

And, as per a decision taken by the faculty 40 years ago, they have to give 100 hours annually to the two-year post-graduate programme and other long duration programmes. In faculty hours, this adds up to 10,000 hours annually and his contention is that only half is used up.

"This leaves a good 5,000 hours to spare and at IIMB — where the present faculty strength is 120 — the slack time now available is 6,000 hours.''

Of the view that it is possible to increase the intake of IIMB by 120 in 2007-08, Prof. Ramaswamy has provided a detailed statement on how it can be done.

Delegating work

He told the Oversight Committee — headed by Veerappa Moily — that teaching time required an year for two sections of 60 students each would be 2,000 hours; thereby still leaving 4,000 hours of slack time. "And, there is no added cost as the faculty is anyway drawing full salary on the basis of 100 hours an year."

Anticipating the faculty's counter that much of the slack time went in evaluation and preparation of course material, Prof. Ramaswamy pointed out that this work could be delegated to teaching assistants and research assistants. While his study was specific to IIMB, his opinion is that all the other IIMs are in a position to increase intake at current faculty strength.

Student fees

On the issue of student fees, the octogenarian — who is on the IIMB Board — said the average annual salary of IIM graduates was in the vicinity of Rs. 10 lakhs. With 40 per cent of IIM graduates getting over 12 lakhs annually, most students can pay back their loan within the first year of placement and the remaining in the second year.

"So, why subsidise education. Instead, make loans easily available."