“IIMs to double seats, add new courses ”

Six leading IIMs have decided to pad up the curriculum with additional courses and double the intake of students from the coming academic year following a directive from the Centre to broad base their activities in view of the changing economy.

IIM- Ahmedabad has added a new executive MBA course to its academic cart along with a one-year global managers' progamme.  Also in its list is a one-year progamme on leadership and management.  While the Noida campus of IIM-Lucknow plans to include a certificate programme in management for Defence personnel in its list, Kolkata will have a one-year programme for development of entrepreneurs and manager turned - entrepreneur with a 300-seat capacity.

Kozhikode will be packaging itself with the executive MBA course in the distance education module.  Ahmedabad will also double its capacity in the fellow programme in management and development to 20 and 40 seats against the present 15 and 30 seats, an official release said.

IIM-Bangalore will raise the seats in post graduate programme in software enterprise management to 260 and 150 against the existing 180 and 120.  Lucknow too is planning to double up its seats.

The directive to IIM directors to broad base their activities was given by Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh.

The six IIM have also provided a record amount of Rs 2.35 crore need-based financial aid to students in the current year.  Ahmedabad tops the table with Rs. 69.78 lakh.