http://bangalore.metblogs.com/archiv..._of_iimb.phtml
New Trade secrets of IIM-B..
posted by Rajesh Dangi at 12:56 PM on February 22, 2007
- Deny information to visually impaired Scholar - Vaishanavi Kasturi under 'Trade secret'
What's her fault? Despite slogging it out and following all the processes for getting into IIM-B, Vaishanavi Kasturi had to struggle and enroute her request RTI way... No we are not talking about RTI use for govt departments but to one of India's premier management Institute!!
Image source - TOI,e-paper
When the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) announced the results of CAT 2006, last month she was happy. With a percentile score of 89.29, she outscored thousands of other students. IIM-B announced the CAT percentile score cut-off under the Persons With Disability category as 86.42, making her entry obvious but some Etho's and Ego's of IIM-B ruled her out! Reasons unknown!!
Indeed, the response of the IIM-B is shocking. The premier institute has refused to give the names and percentile marks obtained by short-listed blind candidates, saying it is a "trade secret.''. What trade are they into, producing intellect from the intellectual raw material? Or is it just the hypocritical way of discrimination?
Here are some points from IIM-B's A R Ramesh, IIM-B public information officer's reply. ..
>> At IIM-B, the processing formula applied for the selection of candidates for group discussion and interview is considered to be trade secret and kept confidential. >> Information on the selected candidates is confidential! >> The decision of the admission committee is final. There is no provision for appeal or review.
As Vaishanavi is filing an appeal to approach the institute's director and even the Central Information Commission on the reply and denial, few questions arise...
-- Are they so stern that they feel they are above governing Indian laws?
-- Do they think that they have gained such 'right of denial' via their secret algorithms?
This episode is so painful to digest that a premier institute who should adhere to the highest standards and virtues showcases such a illegal,stern and an in-humane attitude. I feel pity...
Source TOI, Bangalore Feb 21, 2007 e-paper
Comments
This is the most inhumane and hypocritic behaviour by IIM-B. IIM-B is not beyond the law of nation. Their claim that their formulae is their "Trade Secret" makes one wonder. IIM seems to have forgotten that they are a premier education institution of India, founded by Indian People and funded by the money of illeterate millions. They have been mandated to impart education and not indulge in Trading/Business, hence the question of trade secret does not arise.
When an Official of IIM claims trade secret then it's high time a public audit of the functioning of IIMs is done.
It has become the practice of institutions which have been created by public money to claim immunity from the public scrutiny. We do not pay taxes to create fiefdoms for few. Let us not forget the incidence where Supreme Court had to order UPSC to show the answer sheets to students. A similar case happenned in West Bengal also where the students in order to see their answer sheets had to go to High Court and get its order. In the case of UPSC, one of the ex-officials of UPSC made a very ridiculous statement that making the process transparent will have a National Security impact.
What we are seeing is the tendency to have Zero Accountability.
In case IIM's feel that they cannot be transparent then I wonder how the students coming out of these institutions will fit into the paradigm of transparent Corporate Governance.
The whole episode leaves a very bad taste in the mouth. The petitioner should approach the supreme court and get IIM investigated for malpractices as we all know that people try to hide things only when they have done something wrong.
Posted by: Sanjay Pandey at February 22, 2007 02:19 PM
let me get this straight, she wants the criteria that were used for selecting other candidates? Isn't that a breach of their privacy?
Most hiring and admissions decisions have a subjective part. Very few institutions make these decisions entirely based on marks. Why is IIM the big evil here?
Posted by: someone at February 22, 2007 02:31 PM
Dear Someone,
As long as she is not asking for others answersheets it is ok, because the criteria should remain constant for all.
Are you implying that criteria for selection differs student to student? then it is far more serious issue...
Posted by: Rajesh at February 22, 2007 02:38 PM
Dear Someone,
"Most hiring and admissions decisions have a subjective part. Very few institutions make these decisions entirely based on marks. Why is IIM the big evil here?"
Hiring and admissions decisions are not subjective. If they were, then we would not have the entrance examinations, Group discussions and so on. Everything is quanitified to the last extent. If they were subjective, then there would have been no need to have those exams.
You are right, the evil of subjective decisions is practised by many institutions but when IIMs do it, then the perspective changes as IIMs are a premier institution created by us the people of India, as pointed in my post. We created them so that people can get equal oppurtunity in quality education for Management and not so that somebody can do influence peddling at my cost as a taxpayer. This whole incidence has started looking like the same.
Further, please do not treat IIM as a holy cow. Looking objectively, I do not see them doing a great job. They take the cream of nation and churn out cream, so where is the value addition to the nation. Have you ever heard of IIMs taking a person having secured 10% and then taught him/her and built them upto 90%. No way. They are not so good teachers that they can do it. So they take the best who would have been able to reach those places without IIM also and just provide them with degree. The brilliant people who go there, would have got it done even without IIM excepting the degree part.
Lastly, can you take a look at the SMB segment and find out how many of these successful entrepreneurs are from IIM. I doubt if the percentage would be even near 5%. So, let us treat IIM as what they are, a business school funded by us and hence accountable to us.
Moreover, if we take your reasoning further, then IIM has no fixed policy and procedures in place for admission, then as Rajesh has pointed, the need for public audit increases.
We cannot have IIMs and IITs run on the whims of the chairholders to fulfil their own political/financial/other ambitions.
Posted by: Sanjay Pandey at February 22, 2007 02:54 PM
While I dont contest that IIMs are accountable to us since they are run by our tax money, I feel the accountability is being taken little too broadly here. Yes, they should tell us what they are doing with our money and should give out the financial details should someone ask.
But to reveal the selection criteria might have farther implications than we think. If they do tell everyone on what criteria do they do the selection, all thos coaching centers will device special schemes to boost only those areas in the candidates' abilities that help them succeed. Thus the very process of selection might be invalidated by candidates who hone only the skills that make you pass the exams.
Since we have heard only one side of the story (that too from a sensationalzing news paper like TOI), here are a couple of points (speculative of course) that might defend IIM's actions.
* The CAT percentile does not ensure admission. The candidates are also judged based on Group Discussions and Interviews. We dont know for sure how well this young woman did in that.
* The overall cut off percentile does not ensure an admission. Most IIMs usually have cut-off percentiles/marks for individual sections of the exam.
I am not being insensitive here nor am I saying this is not a genuine case. All I am saying is this does not need such a media sensationalisation just because the lady in question is visially impaired.
I am all for empathy for the handicapped and thats what the reservations are for.
I just dont like the story sounding like 'a big fat IIM cheated little blind girl'.
PS: No, I dont have anything to do with IIMs.
Posted by: Shastri at February 22, 2007 03:49 PM
Shastri,
You are right when you say she should get admited based on the merits and the marks she has obtained in whatever process IIM-B has adopted.
She is only asking how she was evaluated, What has she failed in and what are her marks each of the evaluation stages/aspects..these are to me fair requests.
No one is saying here that she should get admited. if she would not have got above the cut-off she may not have demanded the information. (The cutoff is declared via IIM-B thus they respect CAT. in such way tomorrow each and any institution will start claiming the secrecy and adhocly deny admissions.) It is unfair to keep the selection process in dark, mark obtained in dark and deny the information which has just ruined her opportunity for furthering her career. I am sure if she runs the case in court of law she will be heard for her rights.
Will IIM-B accept if such answers from govt on their fee structure decisions and quota's saying that the decisions are final and mandetory, when they expect transperecy they have to start providing it themselves to the 'victim's of their decisions...
Again, no one is claiming that she should get admited based on her physical condition here.. I am sure anyone who secures 89% in CAt will have a bright future inspite of such stern institutions.
The bigger question this country will face is that what happens to those who are academaciccly paased out and are stuck between 35% till the cuttoff percent, i think no one has dared to work for them. Like the point raised by Sanjay that these institutions will work with the cream and curn only cream...building brands which is not providing careers for passouts but not toppers... the story does tell that IIM-B is witholding information which this girl needs and is not acceptable under law ...that remains the fact!!
Posted by: Rajesh at February 22, 2007 04:03 PM
Rajesh,
I stand correct in my understanding of the situation. Thank you.
Yes, may be the IIMs have to tell why she did not qualify if not the entire selection criteria.
BTW, thank you and rest of Bangalore Metblogs team for keeping a good flow of interesting posts. I have been away from Bangalore for a couple of months now and you guys make me miss it a bit less !
Shastri
Posted by: Shastri at February 22, 2007 04:19 PM
Rajesh,
I stand corrected in my understanding of the situation. Thank you.
Yes, may be the IIMs have to tell why she did not qualify if not the entire selection criteria.
BTW, thank you and rest of Bangalore Metblogs team for keeping a good flow of interesting posts. I have been away from Bangalore for a couple of months now and you guys make me miss it a bit less !
Shastri
Posted by: Shastri at February 22, 2007 04:20 PM
Every other business school in the world has an admission policy that is based on a combination of a standardized test score, resume, essays and interviews. The IIMs are the exception in actually publishing the cutoff marks for public consumption. Some of the IIMs publish a cutoff for individual sections of the test, some do not. My guess is her marks did not meet the cutoff in some way -- i.e. the formula that they had for selection was not based on just overall marks.
I've only read the newspaper reports which tend to be provocative, but my take away is that she is accusing the IIMs of unfair bias. I don't see evidence of a personal bias, and in the absence of that, I would assume goodwill and let it go. Instead, she is implying that there is a conspiracy to not let her in. It is not uncommon for people with a > than 99%ile overall score being rejected because they had a skewed marks distribution. I don't see them invoking the RTI act to get the marks details of all other candidates, i'm presuming because they assume goodwill on the IIMs part.
I'm not trying to defend the IIMs here. Obviously they are being insensitive in refusing to tell her why she was rejected. ( But if the newspaper reports are to be believed, she wants the marks of all other candidates who were selected instead of her, which doesn't seem right to me ). However that is the extent of their evil, i.e. they refused to tell her what exactly in her profile did not meet their criteria, but were instead pompous about it. Making this sound like personal bias without any evidence to back it up is just silly.
Yes, of course the IIMs are just a set of b-schools that are funded by the public. That doesnt mean nothing is confidential -- do you believe the State run business schools in the US will freely give away information about other candidates because someone feels he should be admitted? Unless there is clear evidence of malpractice (i.e. something like a chairperson's kin getting admitted while not meeting cutoffs), this is a non-issue.
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