AICTE comes to the rescue

Has set up three committees to report on the issues of developing management education .

After receiving flak from the academic quarters on its preferential treatment to technology education, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) is now getting its act together.

The technical education regulating body has now decided to set up three committees in the field of management education. The committees will look in to the areas of management research, faculty development and industry-academia interface.

While the faculty development committee will be headed by Professor Ananth Krishnan, director, Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, the other committees will be headed by members from the Planning Commission and a professor from the ministry of science and technology.

The committee will bring out its recommendations in the next three months and submit the same to the Human Resource Development Ministry and the University Grants Commission.

The committees will discuss the issues of management research, supply of faculty members, attracting and retaining the faculty members and industry and academia interface.

"We are concerned about the fact that only 23 per cent of India's management talent pool is effectively employable. We understand that setting up of a committee and coming up with recommendations is a mammoth affair. But we believe that if this happens, it will be a great contribution for management education in our country. If we do not take measures now, we may not be able to make out presence felt at the international level in management education," said a professor who is member of one of the committees.

Early this year, MeritTrac services, a skill assessment company, had compiled a survey where it mentioned that only 23 per cent of management talent in India is employable with Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai accounting for 50 per cent of MBA pool. Most of the management graduates score low on communication skills, the survey mentioned.

In fact, concerned over the fate of management education, AICTE has also decided to create a pool of 75 special management professors. The categorisation of professors "" distinguished professor, professor of eminence and national professor "" will be done over the next six months.