IIM-A mulling to set up campuses in Dubai and Singapore

"We are looking at the possibility, but I think there is still a year left till we can set up campuses overseas in Dubai and Singapore," IIM-A Director Samir Barua told reporters.

"Whether it would be satellite campuses or programmes to be offered from such centres will have to be discussed with the faculty and the Governing Board first," he said.

"The programmes to be offered in Dubai or Singapore in my view will have to be different from those being offered here," the director said. He said the Union HRD Ministry, in October last year, had given its nod to IIMs for opening campuses outside India and has also given permission to cut down the size of IIMs' Governing Board from 25 members to an effective number.

A final decision in this regard will be taken by IIM-A Society, Barua said.

"Smaller board size can play a very effective role in governance of the institutes and can do wonders," he said.

"Opening campuses overseas makes sense as students there want to study in their own country instead of spending two years in another country. We would like to tap that demand," Barua said.

The IIM-A has 65 partner institutions, essentially B- schools, overseas for student exchange programmes. About the trends of ongoing placements at IIM-A, Barua said, "Early indications are that the number of offers have gone up and compensations offered by companies have also surged as compared to the last year."