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B: What Institutes Should Offer

Based on my experience as senior corporate sector executive and now consultant and professor, I can give following suggestions to students to look for: -

These are my own observations and recommendations and have nothing to do with official guidelines of any authorities and neither do I need to concur with other so-called experts and authorities. Much needs to be improved in technical education in India, its infrastructure and recognition of technical people in education instead of perpetuating sick and old outdated academic degree-based system insisting on poor quality teachers and Ph.D. holders.

We should not forget that most of the institutes are meant only for MBA programs and to give practical skills, and not for fundamental research where such higher degree holders are more adept. This foolish requirement in my opinion should be done away with governments to attract and invite real industry talent in higher technical education and at good salaries.

So Let's Proceed and See What is Needed?

1. Try to go for a 2-year course and not of lesser period and preferably for campus-based course and not distance mode. That is second choice and for those who can't stay in cities or are working or have any other family problems.

2. Prefer MBA to PGDM unless it is treated equivalent for certain institutes (list is available with AIU, New Delhi Handbook). Some examples are MDI-Gurgaon, IMT-Ghaziabad, all IIMs and a few more (may be around 20 in India in all).

3. Avoid unapproved / unrecognized (by UGC / AICTE / AIU) programs as these are mere additional vocational qualifications and will be treated as such. You won't be eligible for Research / Ph.D., emigration, and teaching jobs if you wish to do these later on. Public sector will also not accept you. Most of employers' HRD people should know all this and be vigilant.

4. Don't get impressed by massive and impressive buildings and facades. These are normally the only thing many institutes have in India. What, for example, a 100 acres of IIM campus has to do with their 150-seater MBA college needs? It is sheer wastage at cost for students and public exchequers, and an irrelevant point. Besides, such buildings and areas are more of real estate investment to store up black money (Private Sector only) and surplus money to create assets which will appreciate in future. There is no other purpose. The buildings have to be functional and simple with required comforts.

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* Contributed by -
Prof. R. K. Gupta,
B.E. (Honors), MBA FIE FIMA,
Senior Consultant & Professor of Management at Jodhpur,
Director, Sobhagya Consultancy & Marketing Services, India.