Should your B Tech and MBA be so costly?

First reaction to this question is that owners of the Institutes are greedy and want to make a fast buck. While this could be true for private Institutes, why is it that Government Institutes are charging very high fees? These institutes are built from Public Money. They are not required to pay dividend to their shareholders and show a return on investment of 20%. In fact, I and you have been paying the taxes from which these institutes are made, then why are we asked to fork out so much when we send our children to these Institutes?

The good ones amongst these institutes get away by pointing to the high salary that a young person gets on earning the degree. However, this is a weak argument.

Institutes need to adopt activity based costing and charge the different category of students/ participants and clients with some correlation with the cost and not harping only on the "value provided" argument.

Are IITs and IIMs doing enough?

Mr. Jairam Ramesh has created a stir by saying that IITs and IIMs are not producing enough research. Being a Minister in Government of India his remarks may be disliked by the Faculty. I do feel that if you are in a position of power, you need to communicate in a more appropriate manner. However, let us not forget that Jairam has done B Tech from IIT Bombay and he knows the system as an insider also.

The issue that comes out is that there is need for acceleration of research output at IITs and IIMs. There is also need for regular public debate about where each of these public institutions is and where is it going. I consider that this should be done at frequency of once in five years. IIM Ahmedabad does go into this debate by having "Committee on Future Directions". When I was a student there in 1984, I was keenly following the debate. The Committee had Six faculty members. Debate was polarized between a view led by Professor Khandwalla who argued that IIM Ahmedabad should orient towards Public Systems strongly. He was supported by four other Faculty Members. Opposite view was of Professor Mote who argued for making IIMA an international institute. He was alone in the Committee advancing this view. I was influenced strongly by idealism and was happy to see that Professor Khandwalla's view prevailed.

As the years passed by, I realized the mistake. Professor Mote's view was the better view. Result of that choice in 1984 was that IIM A is now (and still) looking for strengthening its international linkages and image. And as an alumni I am not very satisfied with its achievement on this count. In December 2009 when I visited the campus and met Professor Mote who is since retired and had come to our reunion as a special invitee. I recalled the 1984 debate and paid him my tributes by acknowledging how far sighted he was.

Each of the Institution of National Importance must do two things:

1. Make one day in a year as an open day when they need to showcase their laboratories, libraries and class room for general public. This could be done on the Foundation Day of the Institute. Let public know how does it feel like being inside this Public Institution. (This should be supported by similar open window on the website.)

2. Every five years, each institution should review and recast its vision and mission and invite ideas and expectations from the entire country and through a judicious process use them to re-energize the Institution.

[Initially written on May 24, 2011.]