Contribute towards national development goals: Irani asks IIMs

New Delhi, September 1: HRD Minister Smriti Irani Sunday outlined a 13-point agenda for IIMs that includes developing strategies to meet teacher shortfall, a special programme for northeast students and contributing towards national development goals.

Addressing the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) conclave attended by chairpersons and directors of 13 IIMs in Bangalore, Human Resource Development Minister Irani focused on issues related to national development goals, admission process and review of institutes, other innovations and initiatives to scale up research in IIMs.

She asked the chairpersons and the directors to come up with strategies to create enough manpower and also address the issue of shortfall of teachers in the country. "The IIMs should create a mechanism for a global talent pool of eminent persons, who could then contribute their expertise not only to IIMs but to other institutions in the country as well.

The IIMs need to create a knowledge consortium by bringing together various institutions," she said. The minister asked the IIMs to develop a special programme for students of the northeastern states on the lines of the Indian Institute of Technology. Urging the IIMs to "contribute their management expertise" to national projects, Irani said the IIMs also needed to work with local industries and communities.

Irani wants IIMs to tap global talent pool

Bangalore, September 1: Indian Institute of Managements (IIMs) should create a global talent pool for contributing their expertise to other institutions, Union Human Resources Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani said Sunday. "Along with IITs and central universities, IIMs should create a mechanism for a global talent pool of eminent persons who can contribute expertise to other institutions in the country," she told chairmen and directors of the state-run B-schools at their conclave.

Setting a 13-point agenda to bring their management expertise to achieve the national development goals, Irani asked them to draw strategies for making the country manpower ready and teacher ready. "IIMs needed to create a knowledge consortium with other institutions to translate ideas like credit transfer and twinning programmes into action," she said.

Seeking a special programme for the northeastern states in management on the lines of similar one (Ishan Vikas) developed by IITs in engineering, the minister said IIMs should work with local industries and communities to enhance their management skills and capacity. "B-schools should also contribute expertise to national projects such as smart cities and green cities," she said.

The minister directed the B-schools to develop a ranking system to compare vis-a-vis their peers the world over in terms of priorities of developing countries and help their private counterparts to pursue academic excellence for achieving targets set by the national ranking framework. The day-long interaction focused on diverse issues, including national development goals, their admission process, review of their functioning, national ranking framework, use of ICT and initiatives to scale up research.

IANS