Is the MBA Just a Business in India? Let's Discuss the Real Challenges and Solutions

The State of MBA Education in India

We all know what happens in India. Fresh MBA graduates are often offered teaching positions, let alone getting jobs in other industries, which is still acceptable if there is a training program, on-the-job training, or mentoring.

The Reality of MBA Degrees

MBA is just a convenient postgraduate degree that everyone pursues, thinking that putting this magic word on their CV will fetch a high salary. Even during the MBA course, most students don't make an honest effort to learn the skills and concepts; they fake project work, internship tenures, etc.

Lack of Student Development

Teachers or management are least bothered about the development of the students. Once the fees are recovered, students are left to fend for themselves. In the name of placements, BPOs hover around the campus to pick up desperate students who realize the blunder of wasting two years of their youth.

MBA as a Business

MBA is a business in India. You may find colleges as big as sprawling over 100 acres or as small as a 3 BHK MBA college. Everything sells in India!

Regards

Dear Hussain, you are right. I have visited a number of colleges where the staff who teach are all relatively fresh graduates, if not without any experience and fresh after an MBA. I have questioned their eligibility to teach functional subjects without having worked in that function.

Similarly, I have seen the quality of the so-called dissertations/project work. It is the system's fault. In private institutions, teachers are poorly paid, and it's a money-spinning business. The question is, what can people do to improve the situation? I know you are based in Kuwait, but may I know where you got your MBA-HR from?

Have a nice day.

Regards,
Simhan

Dear Mr. Simhan, I completed my MBA at the Allana Institute of Management Sciences, affiliated with Pune University. I am one of those lost souls who pursued an MBA with the belief that it would advance my career. However, my primary intention in joining the MBA program was to develop myself for a better career. While many of my peers were entering BPOs in large numbers, I also followed suit. After a year of wandering, restlessness, lack of guidance, and unsuccessful attempts at CAT, NMAT, XAT, and SNAP due to high cut-offs, I remained determined to explore what an MBA could offer.

Unfortunately, it did not turn out as I had imagined. The institution proved to be, as mentioned earlier, primarily focused on profit-making. Consequently, I took the initiative to study whatever I could on my own. Some of my fellow students ridiculed a few of us who advocated for engaging in real projects and authentic internships rather than resorting to mere copy-and-paste methods.

Nevertheless, the knowledge I acquired has proven beneficial to me. However, to be candid, pursuing an MBA ranks as one of the major mistakes of my life.

I am now more interested in gaining practical experience. Although I received two job offers to teach at similar colleges, I respectfully declined, acknowledging that I currently lack the qualifications, experience, and expertise necessary for teaching. Nevertheless, I eagerly anticipate pursuing a teaching career once I have acquired the requisite 12 to 15 years of industry experience to effectively mentor young minds.

Thank you.

Mr. Simhan asked a question, "What can be done to improve this situation?"

Suggestions for Improving MBA Programs

My suggestion is:

Eligibility for pursuing an MBA must include prior experience of a minimum of 3 years in the industry, and then admission to the MBA should be granted. This will help MBA candidates make a mature decision regarding whether to pursue an MBA, choose their specialization, understand the value of real work, and gain experience.

Internships during the MBA should be extended to 6 months; at least one semester should be dedicated to the internship. A 2-month internship is not sufficient to learn from real corporates. Also, corporates will have a fair chance to assess the real caliber of the students. If a student is found slacking during the internship, they should be dismissed from that corporate. Only upon duly completing the 6-month internship should a student be awarded an MBA degree.

The system of mundane project work should be abolished; instead, performance appraisals from the HR or line manager under whom the internship took place must be submitted to the college for grading.

For example, in a 6-month internship program, colleges and corporates can set predetermined targets based on specializations:

- Marketing: Sales targets, product performance reports, etc.
- HR: Recruitment targets, appraisal reports, conducted training and development sessions, etc.
- IT: Systems learned, cases solved, platform proficiency.
- Finance: Shadowing investment portfolios, attending audit cycles, gaining trading experience, etc.

Teachers' performance should be evaluated based on attendance levels, teaching quality, notes quality, prepared presentations, rapport with students, etc.

Students can be awarded marks for attendance, presentations, grooming, etc.

These are my suggestions, which may be challenging to implement but are not impossible.