Management Education - for Too Many and Too Cheap

'Management Education - For too many and too cheap'

Student ‘X’ graduates from University ‘A’. Student ‘Y’ graduates from University ‘B’. ‘A’, a well renowned institution in India, imparts a management education that contributes to the overall development of ‘X’. University ‘B’ has been started by a private company, looking to increase its cash influx through this venture. It is not difficult to predict which of ‘X’ and ‘Y’ would be more successful in his/ her professional life. Such is the state of management education in India that the course, rather than being the panacea for making a skillful India, is producing ill-prepared graduates whose skills don’t render them employable in the industry.

Recently, due to the commercialization of education by the private sector in India, a slew of management colleges have opened up in the country. The main purpose of these colleges is to generate revenues, rather than imparting quality education. Buildings which don’t have proper infrastructure and labs are being used to teach students.  No student exchange programs, industry visits centered on developing holistic management skills are being organized in these colleges. Moreover, these colleges are also not recognized by government agencies like AICTE and UGC.

However, the unemployed youth turns to a management degree, in desperation. At the end of 2 years, the only thing that results for the youth is even more frustration and disappointment. Even if they are employed, companies has to spend a lot in terms of their training and overall development for the job.

To develop the skills of the youth and prepare them for the challenges that lie ahead, the Indian government needs to keep a check on the colleges being opened in every nook and corner of the country. It needs to make sure that the colleges do not become money making avenues. Instead, the course should be modified in order to make it industry oriented. Only then, the dream of making India, a developed economy, would become successful.