PGDM in a serious spot!
The Post Graduate Diploma In Management (PGDM) schools known better for their autonomy and popularity among the B-school students and the employers are facing a serious existential crisis after the recent Supreme Court judgement pronouncing that MBA education is a non-technical one and therefore cannot come under the purview of the dreaded All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The mood in the PGDM camp is sombre even though quite a few voices among their leadership have been raised over the years taunting the AICTE and questioning its relevance. Instead of rejoicing that finally there is a chance for them to come out of the AICTE clutch which was perceived as retrograde by all and sundry, there is already a strong buzz favouring continuation under the Regulator's charge rather than face the uncertainty of a University system. They fear that ultimately they would be pushed to under the circumstances by the Apex court which is hearing a three year petition challenging an AICTE Reguation by the PGDM institutes represented by Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS) and Education Promotion Society of India (EPSI). In the current year the "approvals" have already been received and the admissions have been done at the PGDM schools. There is bound to be serious crisis in the coming admission season unless things are resolved quickly on the ground.
Unlike the MBA courses run by affiliated colleges of the Universities, PGDM by definition has been known for its autonomy, but for the Regulatory approval of AICTE. The "AICTE approved" tag is now familiar with the students and the schools also proudly wear the medallion and advertise it wherever needed, even though in private conversations they may criticise the AICTE for its "over-regulation". The arrangement of having University Grants Commission (UGC) and the AICTE respectively for overseeing quality of MBA and PGDM courses respectively was practical for the government also, until now. With the Supreme Court having said AICTE should not have any say in the MBA courses quality it would be hard pressed not to acknowledge the fact that PGDM courses modeled after the MBA courses cannot also be termed as "technical" and therefore cannot be regulated by the AICTE. Then who would "approve" these courses, who would ensure there is intrinsic quality in these and who would arbitrate in case of any dispute on their way of working? The easiest and the most logical thing for the government and the Apex court is to send the PGDM schools back to the University system and make these at best independent affiliated schools under the UGC.
The tragedy and stark reality is that both UGC and AICTE have miserably failed in ensuring high quality in post graduate courses resulting in corruption, extremely poor course delivery, poor quality of faculty .....all of which resulting an extremely poorly trained managerial workforce.
This has to change and change very fast if we hope to man our companies with the best talent there is. The industry which is the user community cannot remain as mute bystanders while the higher education institutions deteriorate and fade away owing to the intrigues played out by the regulators, the government and the rest.
