Much has been written and talked about the Yashpal report. Opinions have been exchanged like tennis balls across discussion tables. All and sundry have expressed theirs; even some who would probably be the last in line to be affected by the report. Hence, I thought of asking the directors of various business schools their views about the salient features of the Yashpal report. In any case, they are the ones who would directly benefit or lose when the report will be implemented.

The Yashpal report, in brief, proposes various ideas such as the establishment of one regulatory body called the National Commission of Higher Education and Research (NCHER), interdisciplinary education, development of research, discontinuation of granting deemed university status to educational institutes. It also proposes the conversion of IITs and IIMs to full fledged universities granting degrees in all disciplines.

While the step to disregard all regulatory bodies and creating a single one is a commendable one, many of the directors are skeptical about the way it will be implemented. All feel that its purpose will be defeated if the same people from the old regulatory bodies will become part of the NCHER. K. T Chacko, Director of Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Delhi (IIFT) says that there will be difference in the working of the new body only if integrity is maintained in the manner of selecting the committee members. He also feels that the method of selection should be transparent and not closed door. Hence a lot depends not just on the structuring of the committee, but on who runs the committee as well.

Interdisciplinary education received huge thumbs up from all directors across b-schools as all believe that interdisciplinary education will provide for a holistic development of the student. According to Dr. B.P Pethiya, Director, Indian Institute of Forest Management, (IIFM), Bhopal, interdisciplinary studies will make the student realize the impact of his education on society”. As per the report, the creation of Inter University Centers or the IUCs will ensure that universities share infrastructure and resources amongst themselves to further facilitate inter-disciplinary studies.

Research has always been considered a pertinent part of graduate and post graduate studies as without it, there will only be regurgitation of old and stale information within the students. As per the Yashpal report It should be necessary for all research bodies to connect with universities in their vicinity and create teaching opportunities for their researchers and for all universities to be teaching and research universities, which demonstrates the level of emphasis on research in the upcoming educational system. Directors across B-schools too agree with the idea put forward by the committee report and say that teaching and research compliment each other.

Deemed universities were set up to upgrade institutions with a proven track record of excellence, to full fledged universities. During the years, many of them have lost the very excellence they were recognized for. In the new system, the deemed universities will be converted to universities and no new institutes will be granted the deemed university status. Dr. C.S. Venkat Ratnam, director Indian Management Institution, New Delhi is a little apprehensive of that. In his opinion, the method of granting the deemed university has to be amended instead of scrapping the entire system. A point well made. In a more practical format, the deemed university can become the first stage for an institution to become a university.

Even if you do not have a single Engineering or Management bone in your body, you would swear by the quality of technical and management education of The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). The Yashpal report wants them to develop as full fledged universities on the lines of a Harvard University or a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (funny how we always have an American equivalent of every idea). However, this conversion doesnt make sense to Director of Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, SIBM, Pune, Dr. Arun Mudbidri. As per B.P Pethiya, it will eat up their (IITs and IIMs) autonomy. Venkat Ratnam also, is wary of this conversion and in his view, such a move will further reduce the scope of research in IITs and IIMs. However, for Chacko, although it is an ambitious idea it is implementable if space and vision are added to it.

The new education system sure passes muster as an ambitious project that will help Indian education break from the shackles of mediocrity. People directly involved with the system agree. Is the government listening?