Need for apex educational body, says panel

PUNE, May 21: Adequate freedom for directors of management institutes, reconsideration of their academic qualifications, evolving a common ...

PUNE, May 21: Adequate freedom for directors of management institutes, reconsideration of their academic qualifications, evolving a common set of realistic norms for the recognition of institutes and the setting up of an apex council for management education, are among the major recommendations made by a committee to the University of Pune (UoP).

The committee, headed by P R Dubhashi, former Vice-Chancellor of Goa University, submitted a comprehensive and detailed 126-page report to the Vice-Chancellor Dr Vasant Gowariker on Monday. Taking into cognizance the decline in standards of management institutes, the UoP had appointed a 12-member committee in September 1995 to review the working of these institutes.

The committee, which included P S Palande, M N Palsane, P C Shejwalkar, A M Deshpande, visited nearly 45 institutes at Pune, Ahmednagar and Nashik. They recommended upgrading of courses and infrastructure facilities at most institutes. It has underlined the need to set up an active and powerful regulatory authority to raise the standard of management education and take effective measures against sub-standard institutes.

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The apex council should include, besides heads of management institutes, representatives from their faculty, students and the members of the corporate world with the head of the varsity’s post graduate department being its secretary. The committee has also bluntly stated that the expansion of management institutes and courses over the recent years had resulted in dilution of standards, ad-hocism and even questionable practices.

Two set of rules, one prescribed by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and one by UoP has created confusion about the procedures for approval and recognition.