No clarity on PGDM courses in new UGC guidelines

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued a set of new guidelines for technical institutes on December 3. You can read the guidelines here. However, the guidelines are completely mute on the issue of autonomous business schools offering Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM).

With the Supreme Court clipping the role of AICTE in management courses, questions about the validity of PGDM courses are now risings. The guidelines are an effort “to evolve a suitable methodology to ensure that existing technical/engineering colleges affiliated to universities do not dilute standards of technical education imparted by them.” These are chiefly meant for institutes “offering engineering and technology, management, pharmacy, architecture, hotel management and catering technology courses.”

According to sources, UGC will publish new guidelines for management courses soon. UGC has asked: “All stakeholders are requested to convey their suggestions/comments on the draft Regulations” by December 9, post which new rules will be issued. Experts are viewing this as an impractical move, since six days (guidelines issued on December 3) is a very short time to send the feedback.

Various B-schools, including top institutes like XLRI, SP Jain, MDI and IMT, are offering these PGDM courses. Associations like Education Promotion Society of India (EPSI) and Association of Indian Management Schools are looking into the matter.