'Globalisation has redefined role of company secretaries'

, he enlists various changes in the ICSI curriculum.

What are the new initiatives taken by your institute?

ICSI has taken various initiatives like extensive customer orientation, student friendliness, professional development programmes, brand building, extensive research projects, re-organisation and infrastructure development, study of future role of company secrataries (CS) and globalisation of the profession.

What prompted you to revise the existing curriculum?

Globalisation and other cross-border corporate governance issues, arising out of mergers and takeovers, are giving rise to cross-cultural issues. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) and other kinds of multi-lateralism are making corporate management and corporate governance tough. To enable our members to add value to companies, ICSI is undertaking a review of syllabus.

What role does the International Federation of Company Secretaries (IFCS) play?

Realising ICSI's important role in this profession, the institute, along with the institutes in Bangladesh, Kenya and Pakistan, took the lead to constitute IFCS. The move will help company secretaries in different countries to come under one umbrella and build the global brand, "Company Secretary". It will also help the secretaries unite at forums like the WTO. The founder institutes of IFCS will now work also for mutual recognition in each other's countries to expand the international base for the services of the company secretaries.

How are you collaborating with foreign universities offering the course?

The ICSI has collaborated with the ICSA, UK for mutual recognition and exemptions and with institutes of company secretaries in Kenya, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, for mutual exemptions and exchange of members and students, as well as research initiatives. ICSI is also in the process of developing country-specific knowledge and skill base among our members to enable them to go global. The institute has started the practice of hosting international conferences of company secretaries in other countries as well.

Is the institute involved in working with the government at any level?

The institute is extending its support to the Ministry of Company Affairs in all its new initiatives, which include sending detailed comments and suggestions on concept papers, on new company law and limited liability partnerships and representing on the Dr JJ Irani Committee. With the Sebi, it has collaborated for developing model listing agreement and is working on other corporate governance initiatives. With the National Stock Exchange, it is working for corporate governance certification programmes.

How do you propose to make this course widely known?

Today the classes for this course is through postal and oral coaching. This deprives students from semi-urban and rural areas of contact with expert faculties. In order to bring students from far-flung, semi-urban and moffusil areas of the country into company secretaryship, the institute is working on an online educational model. As a prelude to this, the institute has already started providing study materials in most convenient search engines. The e-learning model will enable students to have access to learning and faculty support at any time as per their convenience. In the synchronous form of e-learning, students and faculty will interact with each other live in a virtual classroom.