The Hindu Business Line : Fee reduction

This is with reference to "What do the IIMs do?" (Business Line, February 18). The contention that the quality of education and autonomy of the premier management institutes will not be affected by the fee reduction as the rigorous admission process ensure that only the highly talented are selected is neither right nor convincing. This is so because the financial and infrastructural issues also need to be looked into.

However, the article is right when it points out that the think-tank of the institutes failed to anticipate the mess they have fallen into.

The ones likely to benefit most from the Government decision are the coaching institutes that prepare students for the entrance examinations. With the reduction in fee and manifold increase in competition, there will be a spurt in the number of coaching institutes at every nook and corner of the country. It is possible that they will take hapless students for a ride by promising the moon.

The article would have carried more weight had it also dealt with issues such as financial feasibility of running the institute and maintain the same global standards in education; the dependence on Government aid and how it does not erode the autonomy of the institutes; and how to deal with manifold increase in competition in terms of infrastructure, safeguards and so on.

S. Srinivasa Rao

Gurgaon

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