Page 22 - EW September 2023

Education News

However, there is considerable unease the country’s top-
within the educators, parents and stu- ranked IIMs. It has
dents communities about breaking inherited NITIE’s
away from the painstakingly drafted 63-acre campus in
NEP 2020, and uncertainty about the Powai in land-
shape and form of the proposed SEP. scarce Mumbai in
NEP 2020 was formulated on the the same suburb
recommendations of two high-pow- as IIT-B, India’s #1
ered committees following consulta- ranked engineering
tion with thousands of stakeholders institute. And the
including eminent educationists, new IIM-Mumbai
teachers, NGOs and experts. Now has got off to a
the process will have to start all over good start with #7
again. B-school ranking
Reshma Ravishanker (Bengaluru) in the latest NIRF
(National Insti-
MAHARASHTRA New IIM-Mumbai main block. Inset: Prof. Manoj Tiwari tutional Ranking
Framework) 2023
IIM-Mumbai debut trial Engineering (NITIE) estab- of the Union education ministry.
lished by the visionary Prof. N.S. The consensus of academic
ne of the curious anomalies Ramaswamy (who also established opinion is that IIM-Mumbai will do
of India’s higher educa- JBIMS and IIM-B and ceremoni- well because the IIM tag apart, it has
Otion system was that until ally launched EducationWorld in inherited an engineering tradition
recently, neither Mumbai (nor Delhi) 1999 but died unsung in 2012) as an from NITIE. This will endow it with a
hosted one of the country’s 21 glob- engineering B-school in 1963, has differentiating tradition of engineer-
ally famous IIMs (Indian Institutes been transformed into IIM-Mumbai. ing and manufacturing management
of Management). On July 28, the Indian Institutes at a time when there’s rising empha-
The first IIM was established of Management (Amendment) Bill sis on increasing the value of manu-
in Calcutta (now Kolkata) way 2023 was hurriedly passed by a factures in the country’s production
back in 1961 followed by IIMs in dysfunctional Parliament which and exports.
Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Indore and amended the Indian Institutes of Establishment of an IIM-Mumbai
Kozhikode (Kerala). Since then a Management Act, 2017 to change the “has been surprisingly overlooked
total of 21 IIMs have been promoted name of NITIE, Mumbai into IIM- and was long overdue in Maha-
countrywide. However, IIMs A Mumbai. rashtra, which produces almost 15
(Ahmedabad), B (Bangalore) and C “It took a long time coming but we percent of India’s industrial output
(Calcutta/Kolkata) rule the roost and are glad that the efforts of our team and Mumbai is the commerce and
are globally recognised for providing have cleared the way. Our efforts and financial capital of the country.
global-standard business manage- industry will finally get recognition. IIM-Mumbai will be able to attract
ment education with IIM-Indore and We have always had programs cater- high quality faculty from India and
Kozhikode fast closing the gap. ing to the emerging needs of Indian abroad, the best visiting faculty from
With the Central government industry but despite best quality industry and offer students intern-
promoted IIMs conspicuously absent training, our (NITIE) students used ships and placements in the most
in India’s financial and commercial to face challenges with recognition, respected corporates countrywide. It
capital, this space had been captured especially with companies abroad. has a very bright future,” says Priya
by the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of That will change now. Our heartfelt M. Kenkare, professor (London
Management Studies (JBIMS) and gratitude to everyone who made this School of Economics Programmes)
several private B-schools, notably the possible including our PM and edu- at the Podar World College, Mumbai.
S.P. Jain Institute of Management & cation minister Dharmendra Prad- Establishment of an IIM in
Research, and the NMIMS B-school han,” says Prof. Manoj Tiwari, Mumbai is not a new idea. Way back
ranked #3 and #4 in the EW India former professor of production in 1957, a Harvard Business School
Higher Education Rankings 2023- management at IIT-Kharagpur and (HBS) panel had chosen Mumbai.
24. However, this oversight has been founding-director of IIM-Mumbai. However, when Bombay University
resolved by an ingenious legislative Launched in 1963, NITIE’s insisted that it should be affiliated
sleight of hand. conversion by legislative fiat has with it, the proposal fell through.
The National Institute of Indus- placed IIM-Mumbai on a par with Again in 2001, the City Industrial

22 EDUCATIONWORLD SEPTEMBER 2023