- IIM Bangalore director Pankaj Chandra
KOLKATA: To address the issue of sustainability, the big challenge is to create a far more diverse academic learning ambience than what is present in B-schools, said in Kolkata on Tuesday.
He was speaking at a directors’ conclave in IIM Calcutta on ‘management education for a sustainable tomorrow’ which had educational heads across B-schools and technical institutes discussing their views on the subject.
While IIFT director KT Chacko spoke of the institute organising sustainable technology venture competitions and students’ four-week attachments with NGOs, IIM Ranchi director MK Xavier said that excessive stress on certain types of education had led to a lopsided approach in that people with excessive analytical skills were being produced. “We want to give them an interest in liberal arts. We will be successful in what I call harmonious coexistence when we can celebrate our uniqueness,” said Dr Xavier.
Prof IM Pandey of Delhi University spoke of the urgent need for IIMs to think and do something to include sustainability in the curriculum. IIM Trichy director Prafulla Agnihotri agreed, saying that he equates sustainability with survival. IIM Rohtak director P. Rameshan said that unless we change our attitudes, the concept of sustainability cannot be sustained. “It is our responsibility to preserve the earth’s resources for the next generation,” he said.
On the same subject, IIM Raipur director BS Sahay also spoke of how this year during admissions, six new IIMs had decided to have diversity as a factor. The sustainability issue assumes greater importance, said IIM Calcutta director Shekhar Chaudhuri, when students need to get all-round development at a time when enrolments have been dropping in management schools across the world.
(Economic Times)
