B-schools object to CMAT

SC’s interim order in July allowed existing entrance tests to continue till final verdict, they say.

As the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) gears up to launch its own examination, Common Management Admission Test (CMAT), from February 2012, B-schools have objected to the technical education regulator’s move to make CMAT mandatory for all post-graduate diploma in management (PGDM) institutes.

Education Promotion Society of India (EPSI), an association of B-schools, has written to the AICTE .

“There have been pronouncements from the AICTE chairman that CMAT would be the only test for admission to B-schools from 2012. The Supreme Court (SC) had given an interim stay to all PGDM institutes earlier this year while allowing AICTE to start a new admission test in place of tests conducted by all state governments. Now, the notification from AICTE says that all management institutions would take students only from CMAT. We do not agree with this,” said H Chaturvedi, Director, Birla Institute of Management Technology, Greater Noida.

Early this year, EPSI, along with AIMS (Association of Indian Management Schools) and Jaipuria group of institutions, filed a petition in the SC against AICTE’s notification of December 28, 2010. In that AICTE had announced withdrawal of the autonomy of PGDM institutions with regard to admissions, curriculum framing, conducting the examinations and fee structure.

This July, the apex court, in an interim relief to B-schools, allowed AICTE to conduct its own all-India entrance test.

This however, was allowed in addition to the existing five national tests, namely: Common Adm-ission Test (CAT), Management Aptitude Test (MAT), Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT), AIMS Test for Management (ATMA) and Joint Management Entrance Test (JMET). JMET, used for admission to the B-schools run by the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), has since been scrapped. IITs would now be using CAT to admit students to their B-schools.

The SC order dated July 26 stated: “The interim order will not come in the way of All India Council for Tech-nical Education amending its Regu-lations (AICTE Approval Process Handbook) to introduce All India Entrance Examination of AICTE for 2012-13 in place of state-level examinations by the respective state government.”

EPSI states that unless the existing matter is resolved by Supreme Court, AICTE has no right to say CMAT will be the only test for 2012. B-schools also say they have already registered themselves with either CAT, ATMA or XAT for the academic year 2012-14.

“Unless the matter is decided by the Supreme Court, AICTE cannot change the status quo,” added the director of another institute.

S S Mantha, Chairman, AICTE, said, “The regulatory body is only following the Supreme Court’s directive.”

The AICTE plans to conduct CMAT in 61 cities in the last week of February, 2012. AICTE advertisement in news papers states that CMAT scores would be used for allotment of seats in PGDM institutions for 2012-14 admissions .