Human Resources Development Minister Arjun Singh has announced that the issue relating to the fee structure of the six Indian Institutes of Management in the country has been resolved amicably.
All the IIMs would now charge Rs 150,000 a year from students who can afford to pay, thus retaining their earlier fee structure. The ministry is likely to shortly withdraw the order issued on February 5 by former HRD minister Dr Murli Manohar Joshi slashing the IIM fees by 80 per cent.
Addressing a news conference in New Delhi Singh said that the HRD ministry and other parties would file an affidavit in the Supreme Court of India intimating the court that all outstanding issues have been resolved between the ministry and the IIM managements.
The directors of the IIMs from across the country conveyed their unanimous decision to Arjun Singh.
"The IIMs have taken this decision in the larger public interest and in the interest of their respective institutions," he said.
While fee structure would remain the same, poor students would not be deprived of quality education through the provision of scholarships. This would ensure quality education to all students while retaining the autonomy of IIMs," Singh said addressing his maiden press conference after assuming charge as human resources development minister.
"When I took over I had called the boards of various IIMs and told them that they should take a decision on the fee structure in a fixed time latest by June 25 and 26. The boards have decided to go back to the old fee structure of Rs 150,000 per year, but have also offered to give scholarships to poor students whose household income does not exceed Rs 200,000 a year," Singh said.
The new IIMs at Kozhikode and Indore would be given financial assistance by the government.
Asked if the ministry has located a suitable place for setting up an IIM branch in the North-East, he said that the chief ministers of the North-Eastern states would decide where to set up the institute.
He admitted that most of the universities in India were facing a financial crunch and needed financial assistance. "It is not just the issue of facing a financial crunch but also restoring their autonomy, as in the case of the IIMs," Singh added.
He refused to name any university which had complained of interference by the central or state governments.