IIM directors begin talks on OBC quota, if needed for CAT 2006

Ahmedabad, Apr 10 (UNI) The directors of six Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) began their meeting here today to discuss the proposed 27 per cent reservation for other backward classes (OBCs).

The meeting took place prior to admissions to MBA equivalent post-graduate programme (PGP) for 2007-09 batch.

The date of this customary meeting to formalise the admission process, including conducting Common Admission Test (CAT-2006), usually held on the third Sunday of November, was fixed three months back when the issue of reservation for OBCs was not in picture.

However, in view of the latest statement by Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh in this regard, the issue has been apparently included in the meeting's agenda, sources said.

When contacted, IIM-A officials hosting the meeting here this year (held on different campuses by rotation) refused to say anything, till the meeting is over.

The IIM-A sources told UNI that it is more than just abiding by the law or statutes of IIMs or IITs or all Central-aided institutes, in case the proposal becomes mandatory. Rather, it is more about keeping provisions open for incorporating changes in the quota in the CAT prospectus, in case it is increased for OBCs.

The CAT prospectus is sent for printing around this time of the year, to be ready by June-July. The admission process takes almost 10 months, sources said.

The six IIMs jointly conduct a common written test - CAT for admission. The CAT score is also used by a large number of B-Schools to call candidates for group discussion and viva-voce for final selection to their respective institutes and management departments in various universities. Last year, there were 75 such B-Schools, as against 54 in 2004, sources said.

Meanwhile, the three more self-reliant IIMs - at Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Bangalore --have increased the tuition fees for the 2006-08 batch by 10-15 per cent, whereas those at Lucknow, Indore and Kozhikode have deferred the increase.

UNI