IIM Ahmedabad plans full or partial freeships for 40% of students, says Director

In a recent interview, the director of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad shared his plans for the institute’s future. 

Bhasker mentioned the introduction of courses in business analytics and artificial intelligence. He also commented on why he believes the NAAC and NBA frameworks don't quite fit the IIMs. 

The discussion also included the IIM's Dubai campus project and efforts to make MBA education more affordable. Bhasker hopes to provide financial aid, covering tuition, to about 40% of IIM-A students. 

He touched on the school's fee refund rules and shared his thoughts on why research from IIT management departments sometimes gets higher rankings than research from IIMs and other business schools. The following are edited portions of the interview.

As a director at IIM Ahmedabad, I see our main problems as opportunities to improve. India has great potential, and we're one of the few IIMs capable enough to help. I think of these so-called 'problems' as chances to get better.

We want to help India grow and assist with global progress. We do face limits, like issues with infrastructure and expanding our regular programs. But this has pushed us to think differently. Last year, we started a combined MBA program because of this. This year, we are starting an MBA program in Business Analytics and AI.

We also understand India needs to lead, especially in the Global South. That's why we opened an IIM Ahmedabad campus in Dubai. We want to be in the middle of the Global South to grow leadership skills there. We will use India’s increasing global influence as inspiration.

Currently, no Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have accreditation from Indian systems like NAAC or NBA, with most choosing not to seek them. Instead, many IIMs go for international accreditations like AACSB. These are seen as vital for setting up student and professor exchange programs with schools around the world. For the IIMs, getting an international accreditation is more needed than optional.

I think Indian accreditations need to become more useful for places like the IIMs. The NAAC and NBA systems don't really fit our structure and what we focus on. The new National Education Policy (NEP) should bring about a single accreditation body under the Higher Education Commission. This system will probably tell apart management schools from regular universities, and give a more detailed method.

The new system is not going to grade institutions with grades like A+ or A++. It will classify them as either local, regional, national, or international, based on their scope and influence. We want to be seen as a global school. This type of classification won’t create a hierarchy, but show the scope and kind of academic and research influence each school has. When this new structure is in place, I think IIMs, IITs, and other top schools will want to participate.