The Sad Case of IIM-Sambalpur: No Teachers, No Students, No Campus

IIM-Sambalpur in Odisha is supposed to start classes in less than three weeks. Are they ready?

(Photo: The Quint)

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Odisha has not got off to an auspicious start. The land for the campus is yet to be acquired, the first batch will have a mere seven students and the faculty are unwilling to re-locate to Sambalpur, where the institution is to set up.

Not Enough Students, Teachers Unwilling

HRD ministry notice

The inaugural batch of the newest branch of India’s premier management institute has almost no takers. Of the 60 seats on offer, only 12 were filled. Now, five prospective students also want to drop out.

It’s not just a lack of students that stands in the way of the university becoming a centre for academic excellence. Faculty from IIM-Indore, which is the ‘mentor’ institute for IIM-Sambalpur, are also unwilling to relocate to the Odisha town. According to a report in the Odisha Sun Times, 12 faculty members from IIM-Indore have expressed their unwillingness to teach at Sambalpur to the Union Ministry for Human Resource Development.

Lack of Preparation?

Sambalpur was settled on as the site for the new IIM after a tussle between the Central government and the government of Odisha. While Bhubaneshwar was the HRD ministry’s initial choice, Sambalpur, located in the western part of the state was finally settled on in June 2015 after recommendations from the state government.

A site has been identified for the construction of a permanent 231-acre campus of the new university at Bastanpur, in Sambalpur district. The site is on government land, but reliable sources within the government have told us that the project is yet to kick off, and even planning for the proposed campus hasn’t begun in any meaningful way.

Till the campus does come up, classes will be carried out from the Silicon Institute of Technology (SIT), a private engineering college with multiple branches. A government source who prefers to remain anonymous has said that SIT is being given Rs 60 lakh per annum for the use of their facilities.

Silicon Institute of Technology, Sambalpur campus. (Photo Courtesy: SIT website)

The Quint spoke to Pranati Singh, a Development Officer at SIT who told us that while classes are scheduled to begin from September 23, the college hasn’t received any requests from the government with regard to infrastructure or other material requirements.

The committee meant to oversea the development of IIM-Sambalpur is set to meet on Sunday, September 6.

The question is, with seven students, no teachers and no campus, what will they discuss?

(With inputs from Sahasranshu Mahapatra)