BIMTECH Director Interview: 'Graded Autonomy Status' by AICTE will help PGDM institutes in brand building

Now, with AICTE’s invite for institutions to apply for graded autonomy status, EPSI and all PGDM institutions have welcomed it because it was based on our aspiration. It is in the history of management education that most of the top institutions are PGDM institutions, leading rankings like NIRF, Business Today, etc. are proof. In all ranking around 90% positions are occupied by PGDM institutions very few MBA programmes get ranking or placed among the top 100 like FMS (DU), Bharathidasan University MBA and MBA of Punjab University, these are the only three universities whose MBA programmes got ranked.

This is the success story of PGDM institutions because they have positively utilized the autonomy granted to them from the very beginning of AICTE, 1993 onwards. Large number of PGDM institutions came into existence between the years 1993 and 2000. This number continued to increase until 2007.

Q: How PGDM institutions are going to benefit from it?

The scheme of autonomy is a very positive move. It is based on EPSI’s demand from AICTE. We have been demanding it since 2008 onwards. Secondly, the National Education Policy (NEP) has talked about the same for whole higher education. We have been demanding only for management education and NEP has made a major recommendation that higher education institutions will be granted autonomy by the government and the basis should be accreditation score. So, it is a very good decision of AICTE before NEP came into existence. NEP recommended this last year, but AICTE devised the scheme in 2019. So, the credit goes to Dr Anil Sahasrabudhe who could imagine that this is the right move and this could help the management education to become vibrant and very competitive at the national as well as individual level. Although, we were of the view that the scheme should be a little flexible so that the top 20 or 50 institutions could be included under category one and category two. Along with the autonomy, AICTE has also given certain relaxation and advantages to PGDM institutions that they will be treated differently from non-graded institutions, for example offering online education. There are eleven relaxations has been given under category one and seven under category two. We have realized that relaxation are not very complete gains except in category one where PGDM institution can start online courses without getting the prior approval from AICTE. But, they should start courses only in management, number two they must infrastructure like faculty, studios and offices and employees. This is a concrete gain and useful for the growth of the institute. In my view, making it too much stringent would not lead to effective implementation.  

Q: Will this allow PGDM institutions to offer MBAs?

No, till now the scheme of 2019 does not mention this. But NEP has made provision for it so within the next one or two years it may happen. It may happen by 2022 or 2023 when major recommendations of NEP will be implemented. They have proposed that all affiliated colleges will be removed and the affiliation system will be stopped. All institutions will be categorized into three kinds, first: Research Universities that would be focusing on research and doing teaching also; second: Teaching Universities; Third: Institutions offering mostly teaching programmes. This categorization will be based on accreditation scores. By 2025, the affiliation system will go and all institutions will be given opportunities.

Q: Do you think this step would encourage institutions to increase the number of courses offered? Also, would there be an increase in the seat intake?

The number of courses are based upon AICTE approval and the availability of infrastructure. If any institution is accredited, the initial intake for any management institution is 120. When institutes get accreditation from NBA with a good score, this number goes up to 180. Accreditation itself gives an opportunity to institutions to increase their intake or programmes. However, the current invite from AICTE is helpful for brand building and also, getting relieved from the cumbersome compliance requirement of AICTE. But AICTE requires every institution under its control. Every year, these institutes have to present a compliance report which is a very lengthy document containing minor information such as availability of a number of rooms, number of teachers available, availability of faculty’s adhaar card, etc. All institutions under AICTE be it engineering, pharma, management or other are supposed to give an annual compliance report. It is felt like a little bureaucratic measure as it takes a lot of time, it is a very cumbersome procedure. Every page should be signed by the director and it should go to the notary for further process, so it is a lengthy procedure. EPSI has been demanding that institutions that are there for 20, 30, 40 years, suppose my institutions, i.e. BIMTECH is 34 years old, XLRI is 60 years old, why do ask for an annual compliance report. It is your wrong assumption that these institutions would be doing wrong. Good institutions do not do wrong things because they are concerned about their reputation. It is based on the theory of marketing that an institution or company should not do anything to damage its name or brand. Based on the branding of the institutions, students get responses from recruiters. If your brand does not have a good reputation, you will not get good applications or you will not get good recruiters.  

Q: What are some important points that institutions must take care of while applying?

Institutes are advised to thoroughly read the gazette notification released by AICTE dates October 9, 20219. They should particularly look into clauses 3.1 and 3.2. Also, they should look into Clause 4 and 5 detailing the benefits of graded autonomy. While submitting the applications they must comply with the requirement of the AICTE. I think most important is the proof of accreditation score that they have to submit.

Q: What type of teaching-learning approach should institutions adopt in the post-COVID era? 

All over the world, there has been a massive shift towards online education. In India, we have already done this for one and a half years. Now, in many places, the situation is under control and it is not very fatal with declining COVID-19 cases. So, we are realizing that COVID is under control in a majority of places. For example in Uttar Pradesh, Colleges and institutions reopened for the final year from August 16 and for the first year, the classes would begin from September 1. Now, as per the policy of UGC, AICTE and MoE, the institutions can run classes in blended mode. From 100% online to now they can conduct classes with 50% students attending offline and 50% students attending classes online either from hostels or their respective homes. Both online and offline classes can go simultaneously, This is a blended way of teaching. When the country will realise that most of the students have got 100% vaccinated and when there will be almost no danger of COVID in the country, there is a probability that just like other countries we could shift to offline classes completely.

However, in my personal opinion, the future lies in a blended mode of learning. Not like America or European countries who have gotten back to 100% offline classes. Let’s see how long they are able to run classes via this mode. But in India, I think many people are of the view that blended learning can innovate higher education, reduce the cost and improve quality. The blended mode of learning would reduce the infrastructure cost. This way we can intake more students and conduct classes online. Government cannot construct lakhs of classrooms as it will require huge funds. However, in blended mode, with the current infrastructure, we would be able to intake more students as half the number will be in physical settings and half would be taking classes online. The government has also announced that the top 100 universities and colleges will have the freedom to start online courses. So, online plus blended plus physical, all these three modes will be in use around the world.

Q: Data shared by various online learning portals state that enrolments under online MBA programmes increased amid COVID-19. However, the pandemic resulted in an economic slowdown followed by layoffs and a lack of employment opportunities. Do you think both the scenarios would create a gap in supply and demand, resulting increase in the number of unemployed youth?

In the coming future, there will be a huge requirement of trained managers for the industry as well as for the government department. So far, the government has not been recruiting MBAs. Of course, some PSUs and banks were recruiting MBAs, but not in the central or state government. Management is a discipline based on developing certain managerial skills. An MBA from a quality institution or university can manage any economic or non-economic conflict. Like managing a hospital! Doctors can treat patients but they cannot manage big hospitals. For management, you need to know various subjects, like supply chain. In our country, during the last one and a half years, there was a big problem of the non-availability of oxygen cylinders as well as medicines. This is a problem of bad supply chain management. For managing supply, for managing quality, for managing marketing, like every hospital has market, finance, HR, purchase-inventory-supply chain functions, MBA will be required.

In my view, if the government recruit quality MBA, the services of their department can improve because so far their departments have not performed very well, during COVID-19 particularly.  

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