IIM-Lucknow to help train SC, ST candidates

Lucknow  :  IIM-Lucknow has begun an exercise to enhance competitive skills of reserved category candidates and expand the pool of applicants by helping them train for the Common Admission Test (CAT).

Indian Institute of Management (IIM) officials here said an urgent need was felt to improve representation and opportunities for socio-economically deprived students at the institutes.

After discussions, a workable roadmap was evolved. It was decided that in the pilot phase, around 40-60 promising students (from Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes categories) amenable to management studies would be chosen from colleges around Lucknow.

They would be coached for two to three months by an external agency with expertise in training candidates for CAT.

The insititute would pay for all expenses as a part of its CSR initiative.

But the institute said it would neither have any no role in the selection and training of candidates nor in any CAT-related process.

For CAT 2012, the institute has selected Team Satyam as its preferred vendor to select and prepare a batch of 50 SC/ST candidates and groom them for admission into post-graduate programmes in various IIMs.

However, Team Satyam is not associated with IIM with regards to CAT, a faculty member told IANS.

“This special exercise for SC/ST candidates in no way ensures their admission to the post graduate programme in management of any IIM or at any other programme of any business school which accepts CAT scores.”

IIM-Lucknow Director Devi Singh said the exercise would help all IIMs get quality students from deprived categories.

It would also act as an incentive for students from these categories to dream big, he said.

The project will initially be restricted to Lucknow but the candidates can be from anywhere in India. Based on the results and feedback, it might be extended to other cities next year.