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The HRD Ministry has written to the IIMs asking them to stop offering one-year PG management degrees as it is not in line with the UGC rules. As per the UGC norms, degrees are only granted for the Master's courses, which have a duration of 2 years.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has directed the prestigious Indian Institute of Management (IIMs) to stop offering degrees for the 1-year PG ( Executive MBA ) courses as it violates the UGC norms. It has asked the institutes to take measures to rectify this soon.
As per a report, the HRD Ministry conveyed to all the IIM Directors on July 3, 2020, that IIMs have been awarding one-year degrees like the Executive MBA degree and that goes against the UGC norms. MHRD has also asked the institutes to act in line with the degree-granting norms of the UGC ACT 1956.
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All the IIMs should act in line with the provisions of the IIM Act, 2017 and the interpretation of the Department of Legal Affairs as per which, the institute is supposed to act in conformity with the UGC Act 1956. According to the UGC rules, degrees have to be granted only for the Master's courses which have a duration of 2-years. One year courses are known as PG Diplomas.
After the IIM Act, 2017 was passed, the IIMs were given the authority to offer degrees for 2-year MBA courses. Then, later some IIMs came up with new regulations at their Board of Governors level to award degrees for the 1-year MBA courses.
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Even after the HRD Ministry raised objection in 2018 and 2019, the IIMs went ahead with the 1-year degree with IIM Bangalore , IIM Calcutta, I IM Ahmedabad and IIM Indore offering those.
The Law Ministry is also of the opinion that offering degrees for 1-year MBA violates the UGC norms. The Law Ministry stated that the IIMs had the power to grant diplomas, degrees and other academic distinctions but as per the IIM Act, 2017, it did not define a 'degree' nor the empowered IIMs or the boards to make any regulations in this matter.
