The Hindu Business Line : IIMB board to decide next course of action today

IT'S ironic that while IIMB students are applauded for receiving attractive overseas job offers, the alma mater is being punished for expressing ambitions to cross the borders.

Last week, the HRD Ministry clipped IIMB's wings when it quashed the Institute's proposal to take its part-time executive MBA courses to Singapore. Friday is a crucial day at IIMB when the Board meets to decide on the next course of action, and "may seek a change in the original Memorandum of Association and Rules," say sources at the Institute.

However, according to the MoA drawn up by the IIMB Society when it was set up in 1973, (a copy of which is available with Business Line) there seems to be no rule preventing the Institute from taking its courses abroad. On the other hand, it says, the function of the society shall be among other things, "to co-operate with educational or other institutions in any part of the world having objects wholly or partly similar of those of the Society by exchange of teachers, scholars and generally in such manner as may be conducive to their common objects."

It may also be mentioned here that the top three IIMs in the country (Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta) are autonomous bodies and currently receive no grant from the Centre for any of its activities.

According to a professor at IIMB, the Institute is not seeking to set up a campus in Singapore. Last March, IIMB had tied up with the Bhavan's India International School campus in Singapore to conduct executive management programmes there.

"This would not drain the country of any forex resources. On the other hand, it would bring in some money into the country. But the strain would be on manpower resources, as faculty members would then have to juggle their time between India and Singapore. But to start with, these are part-time MBAs and not full-time programmes," he points out.

45 get pre-placement offers

ABOUT two months before the final placements, about 45 of the 182 second-year PGP students of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, have received pre-placement job offers (PPOs) from across the globe.

Leading investment banks, consultancy companies and IT companies are among talent seekers at the Institute. About 10 offers are likely to come in the next month, taking the total number of offers to 55, according to Mr G.K. Nagaraj of the Placement Cell at the Institute. The final placement exercise is scheduled to start from March 11.