ABVSME (JNU) Dean Interview: 40% of our students are female; fees at par with leading B-schools

In an exclusive interview with Shiskha.com, ABVSME Dean, Professor Arvind Kumar talks about the b-school’s academic strategy, placement plans, admission criteria, upcoming collaborations and more.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee School of Management and Entrepreneurship (ABVSME) is the B-school of the prestigious central university, JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University). The management institute offers a series of MBA courses. In an exclusive interview with Shiskha.com, ABVSME Dean, Professor Arvind Kumar talks about the b-school’s academic strategy, placement plans, admission criteria, upcoming collaborations and more.

Check out the excerpts from the interview with Professor Arvind Kumar below:

Q: Established in 2019, how did ABVSME cope up with the COVID-19 pandemic the very next year in terms of conducting the academic activity and placement plans for the outgoing batch? 

A: Initially, classes and academic activities took place on campus in the conventional mode from July 2019 to Feb 2020. The School has all the required infrastructure like smart classrooms, conference halls, and is well equipped with ICT facilities since its inception. We are very privileged to have highly trained faculty to cope with this transition. Teaching-learning and other academic activities including examinations (continuous evaluation) were conducted very effectively via online mode

The School also organised an online two-week Faculty Development Programme from July 20 – July 31, 2020, on COVID -19 New Age Teaching Pedagogy: Innovative Tools, Techniques and Research Methods for Efficient Business Management Teaching in Digital Era.

Our university also organised a series of workshops like JNU- WETOM for empowering online teaching-learning and research. Participants across the globe immensely benefitted from this initiative. Our school coped well with the challenges posed by the pandemic. We are focusing on industry-academia interaction since the inception of the school. We also have the added advantage of a huge alumna base of JNU. The placement process was also done through online mode.

ABVSME had more than sixty companies including Rahi Systems, Lava International, American Express, Big Muscles, Jackson Group, Voice of Sap, One stack, IIFL, FIS Global, Adfactors PR, SBI, NBARD, Axis e-Corp.

The graduates were offered diverse roles across HR, marketing, sales, BFSI, Operations, Consulting, Analytics and ITeS.  Our students interned with organisations including ITC Ltd. Siterecon, GE Healthcare, Peacock Solar, EY, Axis, IndusInd, Tech Mahindra, Neo Stencil, Gifts on Air, KPMG, tata Steel, COVIDIndiaTaskForce.org, Medical Dialogues, Vardhan Consulting Engineers, Somany, Koan, Pinakulo, Petronet LNG Ltd. among others.

Q: ABVSME is a stem of a prestigious central university, JNU. How does it gel with the image of JNU? How are you planning to rank ABVSME among the top management institutes in the country? 

A: We have the added advantage of being a new School of JNU. JNU has been consistently ranked leading the University in the Country. It has been ranked No. 1 University by India Today in 2021. Our University also spotted in QS World Ranking. ABVSME is deftly following the illustrious legacy of our University in terms of  Teaching-Learning & Research. We are focusing on Entrepreneurship, Quality Management Education, Innovation, Research and Collaboration to take ABVSME among the top B Schools of the Country. We are committed to catering Business Education and training in entrepreneurial skills for the youth of the country for building a Sustainable Nation. We are also planning to participate in ranking for B Schools in the Country.

Q: How will the post-COVID era change the Indian Higher Education and vis-à-vis Management Studies?  

A: Post COVID-19 era will definitely have a blended mode of learning. There is high acceptability of Online Teaching-Learning post-COVID-19 era. Recent policies from UGC is also promoting Online Teaching-Learning/ Blended learning in Indian Higher Education. Post COVID-19 era, there is a lot of potential scope in different Sectors like e-Commerce, IT, ITeS, Tele Medicine, Edtech, Data-Science, e-Payments for Management Students. Management Education will also lead to potential collaboration not only among B-Schools of the Country post-COVID-19 but also across the Globe.

Q: Just a year after the commencement of ABVSME the government launched NEP 2020, what are the type of modulations the institute is looking to bring in, in its teaching-learning process, as well as the types of programme, offered to come in line with the new education policy? 

A: It is noteworthy that NEP was adopted in the Year 2020. Our current syllabus reflects multi-disciplinary, interdisciplinary and intradisciplinary subjects like Business Ethics and Corporate Governance, Cultural and Philosophical Foundations of Management where the students are exposed to the contributions made by major eastern and western philosophers and also to an analysis of values such as trust, justice, honesty, integrity, fairness, prudence, respect, competition, professionalism. The School also organized Lessons from Bhagavad-Gita and Yoga - a tool for addressing job stress and burnout. It is in the line of NEP 2020. So that leads to the holistic development of the individuals.

Q: ABVSME aims to bridge the gap between management education and industry requirement. Can you elaborate?  

A: ABVSME is bridging the gap between management education and industry requirement in many ways. The School is inviting industry stalwarts in curriculum development, personality development and mentoring of our students for industry requirements. Industry Association begins from their process of Admissions to Placements. Pre-Placement Offers (PPO) are the outcome of these associations. The School is also in the process of securing membership of National & International Management Bodies. We are also encouraging our students to work on industry live projects.  

Q: Kindly tell us about the ABVSME admission process?

A: Our Admissions to MBA Programme is based on CAT Scores followed by GD & PI. 70% of weightage is given to CAT Score and 30% weightage is given to GD & PI.

Our admissions to PhD in Management are based on JRF and JNUEE followed by Interaction and Personal Interview. Our admission process is rigorous in nature.  

Q: The fee of MBA courses are often high, However, ABVSME is a part of JNU. Does it have a fee structure similar to JNU?

A: It is a professional course, therefore, the fee structure of the MBA programme is at par with the B-Schools of the Country.

Q: Is the institute organizing any special training programmes for faculty in terms of blended teaching?  

A: Yes, we empower and train our faculty members, staff and students for blended teaching-learning. Several workshops have been organized by the School. The school also encourage faculties to participate in FDPs/ MDPs.

Q: Like other top management institutes, is ABVSME also planning to start short-term and long-term online learning programme?

A: Yes, ABVSME is planning various short-term & long-term online programme in collaboration with various leading organizations/agencies focusing on Innovation, Start-Up and Entrepreneurship, i.e. MDP (Management Development Programme), FDP (Faculty Development Programme), Quality Improvement Programmes and Research Methodology Workshops

Q: What are the new courses and programmes that ABVSME is planning to offer in the near future?  

A: ABVSME is planning various programmes, Post Graduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship and MS in Management (In collaboration mode) are one of them. 

Q: Will there be any increase in the number of seat intakes?  

A: Currently, we are not planning to increase the number of seat intakes.

Q: Will ABVSME aspirants face any fee hike in the upcoming admission session?  

A: Currently, the School isn’t contemplating any fee hike.

Q: How is the institution working on improving gender diversity at campus?  

A: Gender diversity is one of the focus areas of our School since its inception, our School has almost 40% female students. Situated in the capital of the country, South Delhi to be precise, the brand name of JNU attracts both females and males equally across the country. This is why in 2019 MBA Admissions, the Gender-inclusive diversity was 30%. In 2020, 38% female students on Campus and 39% female students in 2021. Even amongst the faculty, we have 46% of females. Thus, the school celebrates and can boast of great gender diversity. In the near future, we intend to give preference to more female candidates from remote areas to MBA programme.

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