AICTE Conducts a Webinar on ‘Revisiting Management Education in India’

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) conducted an informative webinar on revisiting management education in the nation on May 2, 2020, amid coronavirus crisis. The session was held from 4 pm to 6 pm and was chaired by AICTE Member Secretary, Rajive Kumar.

This webinar had all the scholars under one roof discussing the impact of coronavirus for the higher education sector and how online learning has been increasingly used and is helping reshape the application processes etc. The participants included Kamlesh Misra, VC of Rishihood University, Raj Aggarwal, director of All India Management Association-Centre for Management Education, B Bhattacharya, former dean of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) , A.N. Bhattacharya, Program chair, marketing at School of Inspired Leadership, or SOIL and Vinnie Jauhari, PhD education Director at Microsoft Corporation India.

The discussion was centred around how COVID-19 has created a new normal for the higher education sector and revolutionised the online learning landscape. Rajive Kumar mentioned that how AICTE has requested the management institutes to not put any pressure on the students for fees especially till the time banks are not able to give education loans. He also mentioned about the change in dates for B-school admissions. Earlier, the classes were supposed to be held in June but now they will begin from July 1, 2020. 31st July 2020 is the last date for admission and students can withdraw their names till 25th July with a deduction of only Rs.1000 from the entire fee. As far as new students are concerned, the admission will begin from August 1, 2020. Kumar also mentioned that institutes can conduct classes online and also hold exams online keeping in mind the guidelines issued by UGC.

The curriculum has also been revised for the management education, the number of credits in MBA / PGDM has been reduced and there will be an emphasis on more Indian case studies. He also emphasised upon the guidelines to begin management education in online/distance learning mode for which the regulations will be framed by the management experts. All the approvals and accreditations by AICTE are being done online. Management students also have the option of registering on the AICTE portal for internships.

The webinar was held in two sessions wherein the first session looked at addressing the challenges and the second session was about the solutions that can be offered to counter the challenges. The panellists touched upon various points such as the complete shattering of the whole learning environment and how everything has changed so drastically especially the relationship between the students and teachers, staff and teachers etc. Also, how because of the social distancing norms, the system of studying together and working together has been impacted. There is the need to have a blended model of education which includes online as well as face-to-face interaction, and also how technology can be a big enabler in this and will play a pivotal role in reshaping the management education. The right kind of content has to be developed and sustainability has to be built.

The discussion also highlighted the importance of having adequate infrastructure as some of the institutes especially the ones which are in remote areas might have issues when it comes to switching over to the digital mode. The faculty and the students also have to be trained so that they are digitally competent. As far as the solutions are concerned, the panellists discussed how it is going to take some time for the management institutes and universities to come up with a new model for imparting quality education. The curriculum will have to be restructured and the industry will also have to play an active role in helping the faculty shift towards the online mode and to achieve this, a strong partnership with the corporate sector is necessary. There was also a mention of having virtual universities in the future.

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Due to the lockdown, many management institutes across India have been severely impacted and management exams have also been postponed/rescheduled.

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There have been logistics issues due to which many students were not even able to join the summer internship programs. Also, many companies revoked their final placement offers made to the students who are enrolled in various IITs, IIMs and other educational institutes. The lockdown has now been extended till May 17, 2020.