• Comment(s): 1

  • JBIMS is my favourite B-School. In the last five years it has been consistently ranked in the Top 15 schools. But it just has five core faculty members in place, out of the 14 sanctioned. Inquiries tell us Mumbai University is the culprit, because JBIMS is a university department. If it were to undergo an AICTE approval inspection, it would be kept in the ‘no admission’ category. So, either the AICTE processes are out of sync with realty, or JBIMS is abusing its position as a government school.  

    If one juggles the memory a little bit, you will remember that of the 50 schools Dharani P Sinha ranked in the first ever B-School survey in India - the 1998  BT-Cosmode survey - 28 of them were state-owned. Most of them don’t even exist in our consciousness. But look at the condition of those that do. JBIMS, Sydenham,Bharathidasan Institute of Management (BIM) Trichy, SOM Cochin University, DoMS, Anna University, UBS Chandigarh, they appear repeatedly in many rankings. Do they deserve their position? And now we are on to opening newIIMs, new IITs with Department of Managements? Where are we going to get faculty for them? 
     
    Take BIM for example; of the 11 faculty members listed, excluding the director, only four of them have the mandatory PhDs.  The web site has no information whatsoever on faculty publications. Yet, BIM is a top ranking institution. The answer lies in another colourful report on the web site: placements. The average salary at BIM is still Rs. 7.2 lakhs and the lowest is Rs. 4.75 lakhs. BIM at least gives this information. Some others have none. Safer that way right? 
     
    One thing is clear. Some of them are still amazing brands. They continue to get exceptional students, alumni networks which are well entrenched and an enviable visiting faculty team makes the course delivery one of very high quality. And placements happen because they have great students, any way. The reputation and placements do contribute to a very high quality student intake, thereby creating a virtuous cycle. Is it okay?
     
    When it comes to the other two critical responsibilities of a good institution, namely knowledge creation and intellectual leadership, some of these colleges almost draw a blank. The reasons could be many, from a non-responsive university to an indifferent government to an inept director. But the biggest factor is - they are not accountable in any way what so ever.
     
    They have no mandatory disclosure. There was a minimum disclosure norm by the Ministry of HRD, but these colleges have not even heard of it. The return on investment made on these colleges is never calculated. A faculty here has no incentive to perform. Their output can never be measured because there is no information available in the public domain. And since they belong to the state, the regulator turns a blind eye. But still the placements are rocking. 
     
    Why rock the boat? But then these are brands. They once had depth, however inadequate they may be by today’s standards. They were set up by fine individuals. And they continue to attract wonderful minds. They must be restored to their original glory. And we must know where they stand now. 
    Will we ever know?
  • Published on: February 05, 2010
  • 1 Comments
  • Vikas | Feb 19, 2010

  • After CAT the next big MBA entrance test in terms of number of applicants is CET If you even take data of last 8 years from when there are new phenomena of some private B-schools 1) buying ratings and rankings 2) heavily advertising in paper or radio 3) putting in massive b-school infrastructure by charging exorbitant fees to students The top 2 institutes in students / recruiters choice from CET entrance exams are: JBIMS and Sydenham Both government institutes. This is consistent. The visiting faculties in these are the best in the industry. The corporate world knows that the talent they are getting from these 2 institutes is the best; hence these two institutes are high on placements. The alumni of these institutes are highly respected in the industry. The students at the Government institutes learn to be managers in a true sense with all activities, seminars and placements being handled and executed to perfection by the students themselves. Also these institutes do not burn hole in students pocket by charging exorbitant fees- the give the best ROI amongst most B-schools. Even if Government institutes are not able to generate higher rankings in some B-school surveys because of not having world class infrastructure or having large number of permanent faculty or getting better rankings by continuous association with the publication through regular advertisement -they are able to attract the best students and recruiters because most are aware that the intellect at these institutes is high even though they are not ranked highly or are not participative in many ranking and surveys. If the student intake quality is good the output that the corporate world will get from good government institutes like JBIMS and Sydenham will continue. Also someone should question at the end of the day to the Mumbai University and Government Education departments / Ministry and not these B-school. If only funds are released than these B-schools who anyways hold such high credibility in the corporate world without much financial assistance would be more highly ranked. It would be interesting to read an article on how private B-schools are turning Education into an commercial activity and making huge money by charging students Exorbitant Fees and the Donation seats.
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