Thursday, January 12, 2006

Meet Domestic Demand before you look abroad

...........says the HRD, here.

IIM Bangalore Has been told by the HRD ministry that they cannot start the centre in Singapore which has been set up, because we have a growing domestic demand.

Agreed that there is a growing demand for MBA's but I have the view that a School is only as good as the students are. Even amongst the 1000+ odd students that the IIMs admit each year, there are a few who aren't as bright as we think the IIMers should be. Even IIM grads would except this. And I have had colleagues from IIMs who are as bad as I am( or may be only as good as I am) and I am not even talking about the students who got admitted through reservations. The IIMs don't pick up an average student and turn him/her into an overnight CEO material.

I am not implying that India don't even produce a 1000 bright people, but that rather than looking at meeting demands for MBAs, the HRD might look at meeting demands for primary education. The HRD started a beautiful program called the Jawahar Navodya Vidyalaya Scheme to provide primary education to Rural students for free and the first few years were excellent but the scheme still haven't got its due with change of a government during the initial years. I thought it would get a facelift with the congress and left in power( I, for once thought Left would favor such a mass appeal scheme) and it was brainchild of the Gandhi's. The scheme should be expanded to every citizen and must provide for primary education to each and every child. Only than can we have more IIMs that can cater to a million hungry minds. Sonia, are you listening? It was your husband's brainchild.

For now, and I am sorry to say, but even a thousand is handful.
Let the IIMs go abroad and strengthen its brand equity rather than let it dilute.
Instead of craeting more campuses, Create an environment that will produce better students who will then create a real demand for not only MBAs but Scientists, Sportsmen, Artists and Maestros and why not? We still don't have a Harvard, lets not jump to a Harvard Business School.

And of course deregulating the education Business.

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8 Comments:

Blogger Vijayeta said...

Agree with you on letting IIM's go abroad... And the post on cappucino? Ah! Enlightening :D

12/1/06 6:25 PM  
Blogger Casablanca said...

What can I say? Your posts are always simple, clear, yet inspiring. I like your clarity of thought :)

But if you suggest that HRD shouldnt look at higher education, but instead concentrate on primary education, I am just wondering... they arent really mutually exclusive, are they?

12/1/06 8:02 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

@ casablanca.. They should.. they should, i am not suggesting that they shouldn't look at just those sector which are more visible like higher education and we also lag far behind in Higher education no doubt, but they should concentrate on educating the lot who who don't get an education. Once a child has good primary education, higher education will never a problem. Fortunately there are the scholarships, funding and tution waiver system even if its elsewhere. With a billion people, we still don't have enough brains that have gone through a good education.

12/1/06 10:01 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

you see, someone has to have a good primary education to be able to go for higher studies. I didn't have much time today, otherwise i would have elaborated more... and that IIM going abroad is just fine. they could at least generate foreign exchange and spread the brand globally. To say that IIM first meet growing demands before going global is just not logical.

12/1/06 10:05 PM  
Blogger Admin said...

@ vijeyata.. yeah.. drink more!!! enjoy!

12/1/06 10:27 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am very much agreeing with you Anthony. But in country like India, poor parents, perhaps illiterate themselves are not interested in education. "The mass of the lower classes is ignorant, superstitious and unambitious, and cares nothing for education. Illiterate and semi-literate parents see no reason to send children to school."
Free primary education is very nice idea but if people don’t send their children to school then what is the use of it. For average children parents have to spend around 260rs per year to send their kids to govt. schools and for many poor people it’s 50-60 days wages. Or better make it “Earn While You Learn” system. Then only India will become super power.
The most important aspect of the approach is attitude of the teacher, which should be that learning is a form of play, which fosters the blossoming of the child’s natural development. Learning should and can be made interesting, enjoyable, fun.

13/1/06 11:24 AM  
Blogger Wacky Vin said...

Couldn’t agree more. If it's all about Brand India, then increase foreign students seats and make them fight for getting Indian student visa and let them come to this land to study. That will help better to create awareness about India.

13/1/06 11:27 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thx robert, and welcome to my blog..thx for droping the comment. It is much appreciated

@ Shilpa. Couldn't agree more... but when school is free with free books and food and lodging, it does makes a difference.

@ Vin: and yeah the number of students from IIMS who get placed In singapore has already created an image there..

17/1/06 11:14 PM  

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