‘Unfit’ Deemed univs will be given a hearing: Centre

Lakshmangarh, Sikar: A scathing report slamming the state of affairs in deemed universities and its recommendation to de-recognise 44 of them will not be implemented without giving them a fair opportunity to counter the charges, the Centre informed the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

This response came from solicitor general Gopal Subramaniam to a query raised by a Bench comprising Justices Dalveer Bhandari and Deepak Verma, which was hearing a bunch of petitions by blacklisted deemed universities.

The deemed universities, through senior advocate K K Venugopal, argued that the institutions were inspected by University Grants Commission (UGC) and were allowed to continue, and the HRD ministry had no authority to constitute the Tandon committee and accept its recommendations which were contrary to that given by the regulatory body.

Subramaniam tried to narrow down the controversy by agreeing with the Bench that if the government was to take action recommended by the Tandon committee, then it was duty bound to justify it on the basis of material which clearly suggested that the deemed university no longer functioned as expected under the statute and that there had to be compliance of natural justice -- opportunity to the institutions to present their defence.

However, when the Bench asked whether the "government was empowered to appoint the Tandon committee", the SG said if the Centre had the power to notify an institution as deemed university, then as a logical corollary, it had the power to rescind the notification.

Picking the SG's argument on meeting the principles of natural justice, Venugopal said the expert committee gave just 2-3 minutes to each university seeking irrelevant details that had nothing to do with the issue of recognition or its deemed status.

"What was shocking was the clash of interest as Tandon was part of an institute in Manesar (Haryana) that was ranked high among universities found fit to be included in the deemed category," Venugopal said.

He added that though Tandon had claimed that he was not present in the room when the case of the institute (National Brain Research Centre) was taken up, it could not be accepted unless there was video proof of his claim.

The MBA Craze

"Why do you want to pursue a MBA?" I questioned a MBA aspirant. "I want a job" pat came the reply. A simple straightforward and honest statement made. It was a statement that made me uneasy and raised many questions in my mind.

What do management institutions strive to achieve? What do management students think such institutions should offer? Are management institutions indirectly assuming the role of placement agencies?

With the exception of top notch Business schools in the country that offer rigorous academic inputs along with state –of-the art campuses, most educational institutions that run management programmes harp on the placements they have generated for their students. This is done in order to attract as many aspirants as they can. No importance is given to the course content or the quality of resources available with the management institution. What are important are the visibility and right contacts in industry. Management education is big business today and many institutes just want to cash in while the going is good.

Many students choose to pursue an MBA degree as this qualification guarantees them a Job. Or so is the perception amongst the student community." Just pay the fees, hang out there for a couple of years and you will find yourself sitting in an air conditioned office of an MNC" seems to be the mantra. Very few students look at a management schools as a place where one invests time and money to acquire KNOWLWDGE and SKILL SETS that would enable one to build a career. Getting a JOB is the priority. Knowledge and skill sets rarely figure as secondary objectives

Given such a scenario, how do management institutes place their students? Why is there such a rush to recruit MBA's?

1. Hiring a MBA is easy and thus many organizations opt for this route. Skills required by industry are developed on the job. Most students learn the hard way once their very survival is at stake in the ruthless corporate world.

2. It may also be a prestige issue for a few organistions who employ management graduates without clearly defining the role and growth path for the new incumbent

This probably also explains why one finds a MBA quitting his / her first job within a year of acquiring it. The misfit – right person for right job is obvious.

Just as corporates need to identify talent and nurture employees to assume roles of strategic importance in the organization, business schools must provide relevant and cutting-edge management education. This can be achieved by adopting the case methodology of learning. Case studies that talk about real issues/ problems that organizations face and that discuss the manner in which difficulties faced were resolved by corporate houses provide valuable insights to students. Case studies also help in bridging the gap between theoretical concepts learnt in the classroom and their application in industry. Innovative and creative thinking is developed – an essential trait for new age corporations. Management programmes must strive to develop the following skill set

* Communication skills
* Problem-solving skills
* Knowledge application skills
* Interpretation and Integration of information.

The case study approach addresses all of the above.

Management students also need to stop focusing solely on the monetary aspects of a job and rather concentrate on understanding the organization culture and its people. Management institutions can play an important role in developing such an attitude amongst its' students with the aid of counseling. The aspect of social responsibility too cannot be ignored. The student community needs to be sensitized to the fact that social responsibility does not stand for giving charity or working for an NGO. It needs to be understood that being socially responsible is being sensitive to the needs and expectations of society and doing ones' job sincerely and ethically.

In an age where knowledge is going to drive organizations towards excellence, our seats of learning and society at large need to change their approach towards management education. Merely producing graduates and post graduates without these being competent enough to be absorbed by industry could have serious repercussions in future. A change in attitude where focus is on merit, discipline and ethics, is the need of the hour.

References:
# MBAs' aspirations and expectations: the missing link; Colloquia Panel Discussion, NBSM, IIM Calcutta

Basic Difference Between MBA vs PGDM

Control thy emotions buddy

Well I guess there is loss of concept here.. PGDM is taken as equivalent to MBA degree.

No difference between PGDBM & PGBM while MBA is a degree compared to PGDBM & PGBM as these are diploma. Also it is always mentioned that the diploma provided by the institute is equivalent to an MBA degree and although it doesn't matter much but its better if the diploma given by the institute is reconized by AICTE and AIU.

There is a wide variety of nomenclature of degrees in management education. There are mainly two categories - postgraduate diploma and master's degree.

Postgraduate diplomas include Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration (PGDBA), Postgraduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) and Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM). Most of these diploma courses are having two-year duration and graduation is the entry qualification.

Master's programmes include Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Business Management (MBM), Master of Business Studies (MBS), Master of Finance and Control (MFC) and Master of Management Studies (MMS).

According to the University Grants Commission Act, universities and university-level institutions, including deemed universities, alone can award MBA and related degrees. The institutions outside the university system can award postgraduate diplomas. All institutions offering PG programmes in management should obtain the approval of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). PG Diplomas in Business Administration / Management awarded by very few institutions are approved by the AICTE or recognised by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) as equivalent to the corresponding masters degree/MBA.

Deemed universities can also offer MBA or Master's Degree in Management. The AIU is the appropriate authority for granting recognition.

The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Indore, Kozhikode, Lucknow are ranked in the list of top institutions that offer Postgraduate programmes in Management (PGP).

IIM Calcutta also offers PGDM and Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Aided Management (PGDCM). Meritorious graduates in any discipline can apply for the postgraduate programme offered by the IIMs.

The selection is based on the Common Admission Test (CAT) score. The PGP of IIMs is considered as equivalent to an MBA and has much greater demand in industry/management field.

Most of the universities in India offer MBA programmes with specialisations such as marketing, finance, personnel, systems management, human resource management, etc. Some institutes offer sectoral electives such as telecom, health, retail, textile, insurance, pharmaceuticals, supply chain, shipping and port Management, etc. besides the main specialisations.

Innovative specialised subjects of MBA include biotechnology, tourism, power management, information technology, public services and e-governance, IT-enabled services, banking technology, pharmaceutical management, etc. The duration of full-time MBA programmes is two years.

The reputation of the institution within the industry, the quality of the faculty, infrastructure, placement record, location of the institute, etc. are the factors that need to be taken into account before choosing a masters programme or a PG diploma.

It is not important whether a student pursues PGDM or MBA. The institution where he/she is studying is of paramount importance and enhances their employability.

Those who pass out from reputed institutes get better job opportunities in multinational companies in the executive/managerial posts.

IIMs, Xavier Labour Relation Institutes (XLRI), Jamshedpur, Xavier Institute of Management (XIM), Bhubaneswar, Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, Narseemonjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (Andheri West) Mumbai, Barathidasan Institute of Management (BIM) Tiruchirapalli, etc. are some of the top institutes offering PG programmes in management.

Admissions to MBA/PGDBM/equivalent programmes are made either through an all-India Common Entrance Tests or through State-level tests.

The All India entrance tests consist of IIM-CAT, JMET conducted by IITs, MAT conducted by AIMA, ATMA conducted by AIMS, XAT conducted by XLRI. Admission guidelines are available on the AICTE website: Welcome To AICTE

The Joint Management Entrance Test are conducted annually for admission to Postgraduate Programmes in Management at IITs Madras, Bombay, Delhi, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Roorkee and Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. Graduates in engineering are eligible to apply for this test.

Hope it clears the air now

Cheers :)

Deemed Universities Students Need not to worry : Sibal

No Deemed University Student will suffer

Amid reports of violent protests in some places and widespread anxiety over the government’s move to derecognize 44 deemed universities, HRD minister Kapil Sibal on Tuesday sought to allay fears by promising no student would be left in the lurch.
The ministry’s task force has clearly delineated the roadmap for students in these institutions, ensuring that no one suffers, he said.
Meanwhile, students broke window panes, ransacked laboratories and burned furniture in a couple of blacklisted universities in Tamil Nadu, where a majority of the derecognized universities are situated.
Sibal’s assurance notwithstanding, many questions linger. For instance, the HRD ministry’s affidavit in the Supreme Court clearly states that even if the institutions concerned lose deemed university status, they remain colleges and will be affiliated to state universities. In case of
medical/dental colleges, they will seek affiliation from state medical universities.
Asked what if state governments refused to give affiliation, sources said the ministry would seek a relevant directive from the Supreme Court. ‘‘There are other methods also,’’ a source said.
Another question is what will happen to institutions that got deemed status by virtue of starting courses in new fields like nanotech. It seems students who enrolled for these niche disciplines can at best hope to pass out as regular graduates.
The HRD ministry is confident it has a foolproof case in the apex court. Highly placed sources said the 44 deemed universities should not hope that a clean chit by UGC's review committee (separate from the HRD ministry’s panel) can help them challenge the recommendation seeking removal of ‘deemed’ status.

Sources said under the UGC Act, the HRD ministry may or may not accept UGC’s recommendations.

‘‘Anyway, UGC had reviewed only a few parameters of these institutions whereas the HRD sministry’s review committee looked into the complete picture. It cannot be challenged,’’ a highly placed source said.

The degrees of those enrolled with ‘‘deemed universities’’ now staring at de-recognition will be of the institutions they may get attached to in future. ‘‘Students will eventually get the degree from the new university,’’ a source maintained.
Those who have already passed out from the "universities" in question need not worry.

‘‘They will not be affected because the deemed status was not taken away then,’’ sources said.

But the ministry is keen that the institutions are not able to give back-dated certificates. Sources said the ministry had anticipated such a possibility and, therefore, the review committee’s questionnaire had asked each institute to furnish details of past and present students. ‘‘Back-dated degrees cannot be given now,’’ a source said.

Meanwhile, HRD ministry is waiting for the next hearing in Supreme Court on January 25 before it starts issuing notices to these 44 deemed universities.

Govt to derecognise 44 Deemed Universities

Deemed Universities in India

The human resource development ministry under, Mr Kapil Sibal, in a virtual rebuff to his predecessor, Mr Arjun Singh’s policy of conferring “deemed university” status to 126 institutions, submitted in the Supreme Court that only 36 institutions were fully qualified to be upgraded.

Here’s the list of universities,

1. Academy of Maritime Education and Training, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
2. Bharath Institute of Higher Education
3. BLDE University, Bijapur, Karnataka
4. Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Padur, Tamil Nadu
5. Christ College, Bangalore, Karnataka
6. D.Y. Patil Medical College, Kolhapur, Maharashtra
7. Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
8. Graphic Era University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand
9. Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya, Hardwar, Uttarakhand
10.HIHT University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand
11.Inst. of Advanced Studies in Education of Gandhi Vidya Mandir,Sardarshahr, Rajasthan
12.Jain University, Bangalore, Karnataka
13.Janardhan Rai Nagar Rajasthan Vidyapeeth, Udaipur, Rajasthan
14.Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Noida, Uttar Pradesh
15.Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education, Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu
16.Karpagam Academy of Higher Educatioin, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
17.Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences, Satara, Maharashtra
18.Lingaya’s University, Faridabad, Haryana
19.Maharishi Matkandeshwar University, Ambala, Haryana
20.Manav Rachna International University, Faridabad, Haryana
21.Meenakshi Academy of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
22.Mody Institute of Technology and Science, Sikar, Rajasthan
23.National Museum Institute of the History of Art, Conservation and Museology, Delhi
24.Nava Nalanda, Nalanda, Bihar
25.Nehru Gram Bharati Vishwavidyalaya, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh
26.Noorul Islam Centre for Higher Education, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu
27.Periyar Maniammai Institute of Science and Technology, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu
28.Ponnaiyah Ramajayam Institute of Science and Technology, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu
29.Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, Sriperumbudur, Tamilnadu
30.Santosh University, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh
31.Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
32.Shobit Institute of Engineering and Technology, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh
33.Siksha Anusandhan, Bhubaneswar, Orissa
34.Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth, Puducherry
35.Sri Devraj Urs Academy of Higher Education and Research, Kolar, Karnataka
36.Sri Siddhartha Academy of Higher education, Tumkur, Karnataka
37.St Peter’s Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
38.Sumandeep Vidyapeeth, Vadodara, Gujarat
39.Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, Pune, Maharashtra
40.Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr Sagunthala R&
41.Vel’s Institute of Science, Technology and Advanced studies(VISTAS), Chennai,Tamil Nadu
42.Vignan’s Foundation for Science Technology and Research, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh
43.Vinayaka Mission’s Research Foundation, Salem, Tamil Nadu
44.Yenepoya University, Mangalore, Karnataka

Trying to get legal sanction to Mr Sibal’s action of revoking the deemed university status to those institutions, which had “abysmal” infrastructure facilities, the government counsel stated that such institutions were not eligible to be elevated to the level of university in any manner.

The government counsel told Justices Dalveer Bhandari and A.K. Patnaik that while approving the grant of deemed university status to only 36 institutions, 44 others had been put on “watch list” for three years to see whether they improve their standard, infrastructure and teaching facilities.

But the deemed university status of 44 other institutions had been “derecognised” as they did not qualify for elevation by any standard.

Universities run by some of the top guns in Tamil Nadu, such as Union minister S. Jagathrakshakan, AIADMK Lok Sabha member M. Thambidurai and the Dravida Kazhagam leader K. Veeramani have been recommended for withdrawal of the “deemed university” status by the Union HRD ministry, as the state earned the dubious distinction of earning the “highest score” of 16 of its varsities in the national ‘black-list’ of 44.