Improving Quality Of Management Education- A Triangular Approach

The increasing demand for postgraduate education in management in India has resulted in a steep rise in the number of institutes offering such education. However, the quality of education offered in many institutes is seriously being debated by students and prospective employers. The efforts to improve quality appear minimal, resulting in little or no improvement in quality. Provides a summary of status of quality in management education and critically analyses the issue of quality. Further, the paper describes the structure and pattern of post-graduate management education as offered in India, along with a description of regulatory agencies existing in the country to monitor the standards of management education. Towards the end, suggests appropriate solutions, to improve quality. The general objective is to provide help to develop strategies for improving quality of postgraduate education in management. The authors recommend a triangular management education model.

Introduction: India has taken a great leap in the field of higher education since 1990s. Indian government had taken the decision to go globalize, and it was the requirement of the time to go full throttled in higher education especially the twin basic fields of Engineering and management. India has been able to therefore match the demand of engineers and management trained manpower. Over a period of last twenty years, it has not been able to maintain the required quality of education that matches the requirement of industry. The situation has come to such an impasse that only 20 to 25 per cent pass outs are fit to take up the assignments in the industry thereby causing further concern. It is therefore necessary to evaluate the present higher education system and all its inputs so that India not only produces required number of qualified people, but also they are of the required quality and that it meets the requirement of the industrial world. The paper dwelves on the management education in India and tries to identify the root causes of present education and suggests the way to improve the quality of the same.
2.    Present Status of Management Education: There are --- management institutes in India that produces approximately --- management graduates that meet the industrial requirement. If we analyze the institutes, their status, and the locus standee, these can be classified into three different categories as under:
1.    Institutes run with the assistance of central government: This is the first category of institutes that includes IIMs, regional institutes that have acquired the status of equivalent to IIMs and are run with the assistance of central and state government. They have a fairly high standard of curricula that equals to any of the institutes of the world. These institutes have a selected faculty that imparts quality education to the students. The entry in to these institutes is carried out through the national level entrance examination and very top bracket student manage to get admission. The fee is very high and a common stream student can not afford to get admission in these institutes.



The quality of the students is very good also includes those private institutes that have made a mark in the field of management and these students are employed by various top industrial houses through the campus. Let us call these institutes as ‘A type’ of management institutes. This category like S P Jain Institute of management, Narsee Monjee, Symboysis to name a few. These are very few institutes and can meet probably 5 percent of the industry requirements.
2.    Private Institutes: There are large numbers of Institutes that have come up based of sheer supply and demand principle. These institutes are governed by the AICTE who ensure high quality of infrastructure, quality of faculty, performance and ensure the ability of the private organization to provide quality education. The institutes have sprung in large quantity and the state government, the university to which these are affiliated; and the AICTE is not able to ensure quality management education. The pass outs therefore are of lower standard the industry expects. However these are the main source of supply of trained man power in the field of management and cater for the 90 per cent of the requirement of the industry. This may be called Category B. This category of institutes are either very good or not so good type. Therefore the quality produced by these institutes is either good or those that are not employable by the industrial organization. To meet the bill these management trainees are employed on the low salary and later trained by the organizations on the job. Thus ‘not so good category’ is absorbed in the main stream that probably takes additional time for this category to be effective and contribute to the growth of the organization. This category could be called ‘C Category’.

3.    Weakness of the Present Management Education:
Following weaknesses were identified by the survey carried out:
1.    Inadequate infrastructure: Some of the organizations have constructed huge infrastructure of buildings but the supporting facilities like number and quality of books in the library are not up to the mark. Computers are generally shifted for inspection and later removed. HR department in the organizations is missing and the staff including faculty is not paid as per the norms. Every where there appears to be makeshift arrangements that are not conducive for the growth of the management education.
2.    Substandard faculty Twenty years have passed since the management education has spurred in India. Initially no management qualified faculty was available. Commerce faculty was therefore made responsible to run the management course. Even after twenty years, there still exists a Dean in the university who is either from Commerce stream or from the department of Psychology. How can quality of management education is to be maintained? Faculty can not speak English fluently and the organization makes do with the substandard faculty. The faculty in the management institutes is not adequate, they have to take additional classes in the other Institutes of the same organization having management subjects. It has increased level of stress on the faculty.
3.    Poor standard of students in the management stream: Every person today wants to do MBA irrespective of the aptitude for it. The graduation course that is supposed to be the base, do not prepare students for management course. There are various entry point examination for MBA that a student takes and make a entry in the management Institutes. Apart from being irregular, he is not able to understand the course curriculum. He therefore takes the help of the cheap material available in market in the form of guides or sure success booklets and manages to pass the examination. Examination system is also responsible for it.
4.    Poor standard of management Syllabi: UGC had made a gigantic effort to prepare syllabi for the post graduation courses. Lot of time and efforts were gone into. What was later noticed that the same syllabus after having been adopted was diluted to suit the convenience. The revision was not upwards. It was not quality aimed but student was aimed. The authorities wanted that the certain level of pass percentage be maintained in the university and therefore the syllabus could not be tough since the students may not be able to handle it.
5.    Motive: Motive of the organizations conducting management courses is very good but they are not able to manage it due to comprises that are made at every level of implementation. Be it selection of faculty, purchase of books, computers, conduct of examination and the evaluation of papers. Schedules from entry level to pass out levels are not maintained. The commitment motive is lacking. The management institutes are not being managed by management professional but the businessmen. These are hard facts and have to be believed.

4.    Improvement in Management Education-A Triangular Approach: The author considers that there are three agencies (stakeholders) responsible for improvement of management education. We can bring it to IIM level/world level. These agencies have been depicted in the triangular form hence a triangular model as explained below:

                              
(Stakeholder-A)                                                    (Stakeholder-B)
Students        Organizations conducting the                  Parents              management courses
    Public

(Stakeholder-C)
Government Agencies-
(UGC, University, DTE
AICTE, Local government)               
5a.    Stakeholders- A
1.    Students; Students one of the most important stakeholders of management education system. It is for them to understand the importance of management education and its impact on Indian economy in general and corporate operations in particular. The skill, expertise and excellence are the hallmarks of the management are so important that the entire human behaviors depend upon it. It is therefore necessary that following steps be taken by management students to ensure that the entire education system is self propelled and it churns out the best possible management graduates.

a)    The student must decide in advance that they are going to take management as a profession and prepare themselves during the graduation stage.
b)    They must attend full curriculum and learn by interaction with faculty i.e. and the fellow students.
c)    They should be innovative and take management education seriously. Half hearted efforts do not bear desired results.
d)    The students in management education should have a global vision and should acquire skills in the field that would sustain them in the career.

2.    Parents and Public;   Parents and public play an important role in achieving excellence for their ward undertaking management education. They should ensure 100% attendance of their ward, and do not hold them back. They must provide wherewithal that is required for the education in the management. Public plays a vital role in promoting management education in their respective areas by making available resources. They should take pride in promoting management education that has impact on overall growth of the region.

5b.    Stakeholders-B
3.     Organizations Conducting The Management Courses: The individuals who have established various institutions and are running management courses are doing a great contribution for the nation building. They, in this great venture should abide by various rules and regulations that have been led down by the UGC, AICTE, the University they are affiliated to and local regulatory agencies. Apart from the above following points need attention:

a)    They should have infrastructure as per the specification.
b)    Should have a rich library of the management education. The library should also cater for the research by contributing for world class journals and the latest publications. Old books should be disposed off periodically. The library should also cater for books on general interest and novels to build up the enthusiasm and reading habits of the students.
c)    They must possess the latest versions on computers, softwares and connectivity.
d)    They must employ skilled and educated faculty and pay them as per the pay commission grade.
e)    Non teaching staff contributes towards promotion of management education. They must all be governed by various rules and regulations as led down by the state government.
f)    The policies led down by the organizations must necessarily be in line with the prevailing practices. It must promote values and ethics in all dealings while running management course. There are no shortcuts in running a management education institute and that they must contribute and take pride in providing high quality management education.
g)    Conduct seminars, workshops, other faculty development programmes and co- curricular and extra curricular activities with the full involvement of the students.
h)    Provide sport facilities, within the campus hostel facilities for boys and girls.



5c.    Stakeholder-C
4.    Government Agencies (UGC, University, DTE, AICTE, Local government): Government agencies play a vital role in promotion of management    education and they should not compromise on the quality of the curriculum, faculty and infrastructure that the private organizations provide. They should comedown with the heavy hands on defaulting organizations and should not hesitate to withdraw the sanctions accorded to them. The private organizations should have faith in government and work together for quality in management education. Following points need greater attention:
a)    Updating of curriculum
b)    Regulating selection up gradation, and promotion of faculty.
c)    Ensuring wages and salary administration of teaching and non teaching staff.
d)    Keeping close watch on the quality of education being imparted.
e)    Providing financial assistance to the institutions for conduct of seminars workshops, conferences FDP’s and MDP’s.
f)    Conducting regular inspections and monitoring institutional activities.
g)    Ensuring that academic schedule is realistically chalked out and implemented.
h)    Ensuring and curbing all political and anti ragging activities.

6.    Conclusion: Management education has acquired a great importance after the Indian industrialization policy has gone global. The quality of Indian management education system therefore merits close watch and up gradation of quality. To this end, the stakeholders have to play an active and positive role in promotion of management education. They must understand that the compromise on this issue have a far reaching implications of national economy and nation building. It is therefore important for all the stakeholders to work together and contribute towards the excellence in management education, the world may envy!