FAST FACTS
Location: Chandigarh
Director: Prof. (Dr) Vimal Kumar Aggarwal
Approval/Accreditation: AICTE approved
Flagship programme: MBA
Student intake: 120
Fees (full course): Rs. 2 62,380
Board & lodging (two years): No hostel. Living expenses approximately Rs. 80 k to  1 lakh
Admission test cut-off: MAT (500)
Full-time faculty: 16 (Professors: 5; Asst Professors: 2; Sr Lecturers: 2; Lecturers: 7)
Faculty with industry experience (over 10 years): 2
Average placement salary: Rs. 1.80 lakhs
Top recruiters: Bajaj Alliance, Asain Paints, HDFC Bank, ICICI Prudential, India Infoline
Conference: National conference on managing innovations in business enterprises
Web site: www.gjimt.com
Other programmes: MCA. The trust also has a B.Tech programme running in another campus

THE university examinations had just begun as we walked into the institute. Students were tied up with last-minute preparations. The school also served as a venue for the online CAT. Deputy Director Karminderjit Singh showed us the computer centre with a touch of pride. According to him, it’s one of the best in the region, shortlisted by Prometric.

The campus is well-developed and is also houses the school of computing, which offers MCA as well.

“In terms of preferences, GJIMT comes second or third in our consideration set,” informs a student. “And facilities-wise we are ahead of many other schools in this region,” adds another. The school is affiliated to the Punjab Technical University and offers the course structure prescribed by the university. But Prof. Vimal Kumar Aggarwal, Director,  hastens to add, “We do not stop at the syllabus. The course content is modified to include those relevant concepts and theories that are important to make our students job ready.”

Course structure covers most basic management subjects, but cutting-edge papers in each domain are yet to find a place in the curriculum. According to a student, the school would do well to provide add-on non-credit courses. For example, a module on brand management for marketing students would be welcome indeed.

The school has also tied up with finishing schools to provide training to their graduates in areas like the interview process, CV building and public speaking, so as to make them job-ready. Dr. Karminder informs us that though GJIMT is the second most preferred institution by aspirants who take the PTU entrance examinations, they have no control over the students allocated to them by the university.

“These children are quite intelligent and hard working, but they lack the sophistication that a city-bred child would have,” we are told. Hence the need to provide additional inputs to bring them on par. The lack of job-readiness is of concern to some of the students, as well. But they would prefer a full-year programme, starting from the second term as opposed to short-term training programmes; this would be more helpful. Library hour is another tool the school has evolved to inculcate reading habits in their students. Every week, the students spend some supervised hours in the library, reading up the latest on their topics of choice.

Faculty is a major area of concern for GJIMT. Of the 16 faculty on the rolls, majority of them just have PG degrees and little industry experience.  Dr. Aggarwal agrees that it’s indeed a cause of worry. He comments that the institution encourages its faculty to pursue doctoral degrees, and financial incentives are in place for them to do so. Being located in in Mohali, they do get visiting faculty, but the school is focusing on putting a formal guest lecture series in place, currently. “We need to drastically improve our corporate interface,” concludes Dr. Karminder Singh.