Letter: Adding value

This refers to the news report “Demand for seats in lower rung B-schools to dip further” (April 26). All India Council for Technical Education Chairman has asked colleges to add value. I think the well-wishers of India do a disservice with their zeal. We have seen how a dilution of the merit criterion has eroded competitiveness in top institutes as more and more students seek admissions abroad at the graduation level itself. Similarly, objection to Right to Education (RTE) has been mistaken for a desire to maintain elitism at the cost of an inclusive society. There is little understanding of the anxiety surrounding admissions and competition.

Value-addition needs a platform, a base on which teachers can build. In the case of management education, being self-driven besides focus and hard-work are some of the qualities that get established with a high score in CAT or XAT. And communication skills and personality are tested through group discussion and the interview process. But in top institutes more weight is given to quantitative, identifiable parameters. So, for example, marks obtained in class 10 are important criteria for admission to a management course, while work experience or post-graduation is of no importance at the pre-interview stage. And since interview and group discussion are subject to interpretation, their importance has been reduced. The result: I met a student with confirmed admissions in three to four top B-Schools this year who is hoping to improve his personality through the course. Personality for the uninitiated is a prerequisite to management education.

Hari Parmeshwar Mumbai

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