The passing of IIM Bill 2017 by the Union Cabinet empowered the premier b-schools to award degrees. Now, all the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) will have the autonomy and power to grant degrees instead of diplomas. With the Cabinet giving a nod to empower IIMs to award degrees, various other b-schools across India are seeking a level playing field from the Ministry of Human Resource and Development.
They are looking out for degree-granting power while claiming that recruiters and foreign partners might question the validity of the PGDM course offered by other b-schools apart from the IIMs. All these institutes under the umbrella of EPSI or Education Promotion Society of India will meet on March 5, 2017, to raise the issue and to decide the future course of action.
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Director of Birla Institute of Management Technology, H. Chaturvedi explained that since the IIM Bill turned into a reality, the PGDM offered by various other b-schools in India would become legally invalid as foreign recruiters and partners might question the validity of the diploma. IIMs will offer degrees instead of diplomas for the PGDM courses and similarly, all the other b-schools must be given the power to grant degrees. Therefore, they called for a meeting on March 5, 2017, to raise the issue with the officials of HRD Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
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There are various reputed b-schools in India such as XLRI, IMT, K.J. Somaiya, SPJIMR and MDI, which contend for the level field between IIMs and PGDM course. These institutes have been in existence for the past 60 years and feel that they shall be given similar rights of awarding degrees instead of diplomas, for they are also recognised as the top management institutes of the country.
Finally, in the meeting that is scheduled to take place on March 5, 2017, the EPSI is planning to ask HRD Ministry for autonomy status to grant degrees.