Months after the Union education ministry wrote to the prestigious Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) that the one-year-MBA degree programmes being run by them violated norms, many of these B-schools have decided to continue offering them, triggering a fresh debate on the issue of their autonomy.
IIM-Indore on Monday invited fresh applications for its one-year Executive Post Programme in Management for the year 2021-22 while the IIMs at Ahmedabad and Bangalore also carried details of similar programmes on their websites.
A senior official at one of the IIMs, who asked not to be identified, confirmed that many of the IIMs that were offering the one-year MBA degree course have decided to pursue the matter with the ministry and meanwhile “continue with the programmes”.
“The ministry raised objections to the one-year course and that is being discussed including with the ministry. Meanwhile, several of the IIMs are continuing with the course. Some of the IIMs are also keeping aspirants updated about the status through caveats,” added this person.
One such warning/caveat was visible on the IIM-Bangalore website in the section where it gave details of the one-year course.
{{/usCountry}}One such warning/caveat was visible on the IIM-Bangalore website in the section where it gave details of the one-year course.
{{/usCountry}}“IIM-B is working with all the other IIMs to engage with and address the concerns of the MHRD related to the programme. The final structure of the programme (degree /diploma) will depend upon the outcome of the said interaction,” the warning said.
IIM-Ahmedabad has a similar caveat in a brochure on the one-year degree programmes.
Senior officials from IIM-Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Indore when contacted were not willing to speak on the matter on record.
“There is a view among the IIMs that they have autonomy in such matters. Also they can take up any issue with ministry if required,” said a second senior official of one of the IIMs who did not wish to be identified.
In June, the Union education ministry wrote to the B-schools saying they cannot offer one-year post graduate degrees in management and should follow the University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations which do not allow this .
The ministry said it sought the opinion of the law ministry on the matte and that the latter’s recommended was against one-year degrees.
The education ministry said that the quality of degrees could be compromised if the duration were curtailed.
When contacted , an official at the education ministry said there is no change in the ministry’s position.
“The ministry has already made the position clear,” added this person who asked not to be named.
The IIM Act of 2017 granted degree- giving powers to the 20 IIMs who are the country’s premier B-schools. However, after the passage of the act, which gave academic autonomy to these management institutes, a debate has raged on whether the IIMs can also decide to provide one-year post graduate degree courses. Post graduate programmes usually have a duration of two years.
Some of the IIMs were of the opinion that they were empowered to issue one-year degrees .
Education ministry officials, however, have argued that the issuance of one-year degrees also creates a precedent. If the IIMs can issue such degrees, then other institutions may also want to, they argue. And it the programme can be one-year long, then how long before someone decides to make it six-months long? The UGC Act defines the duration of programmes.
Experts said that a one-year course may end up “diluting” degrees.
“A one-year PG MBA degree at this stage is academically incorrect. It is true that since 2017, IIMs have been given academic autonomy but it should not result in diluting their degrees. In NEP2020, there are provisions for three- or four-year UG programmes. One year MBA programme after four years of UG may be justified. But that situation shall arise after few years, not now,” said professor Inder Mohan Kapahy, a former UGC member.