IGNOU entrance exams to start from Aug 21

Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) will be organising entrance examination for its courses on August 21.
More than 1,74,987 students will be appearing for the entrance exam. The test will be held in 311 centers across India.
IGNOU Regional Director Dr H Sangita said admit cards have already been dispatched to the students.
Sangita said those students who have failed to receive their admit cards can download them from official website of IGNOU.

Repayment of education loan may be extended up to 15 yrs

Students availing education loan could get longer a repayment period of up to 15-years if the Union finance ministry agrees to a suggestion given by Indian Banks Association (IBA). At present, the repayment period varies from seven to 10-years. A committee of IBA headed by T M Bhasin, chairman and managing director of Indian Bank has suggested that this repayment period be extended and it is up to the the finance ministry to accept it.

M Narendra, chairman and managing director of Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) in an informal chat with reporters on the sidelines of a function organized by Mangalore University here on Thursday, where IOB donated Rs 14 lakh for campus beautification project of the university, said banks will lend only to students of recognized educational institutions and universities. Extension in repayment period would address issue of educational loan defaults, he noted.

IOB is the leading bank in Tamil Nadu in terms of lending to education, he said, adding that the bank disbursed Rs 2,000 crore by way of education loans in the last fiscal to around 1.05 lakh students. The move to donate Rs 14 lakh to campus beautification programme was in sync with the bank's theme during its platinum jubilee year celebration, which was touching the hearts and spreading the smile. "We are indirectly aiding education even here," he noted.

The bank, Narendra said, will also partner Mangalore University in its future endeavours by way of instituting scholarships/medals or setting up study centres or chairs. Narendra at the same time urged the university to patronise his bank, which would spur the bank to give more for the region. "We have plans to set up 21 new branches in the recently set up Mangalore region, to complement the existing network of 25 branches," he said.

T C Shivashankara Murthy, VC, who presided over the function said the university which has excelled academically and was improving on the infrastructure front was lagging in terms of overall campus aesthetics. "We have chalked out extensive campus beautification programme over the next one year at a cost of Rs 1.2-crore and around six banks have agreed to donate Rs 80 lakh. The university will meet the rest of the cost from its internal funds," he noted.

Common Management Aptitude tests(CMAT) trigger debate - Whats Your View Point

After proposing a National Aptitude test (NAT) — a single entrance test for all engineering courses and BSc, BCom and BA undergraduate programmes, the ministry of human resource development is planning another similar single entrance examination Scholar Aptitude Test (SAT) for similar courses.

Also from 2013 AICTE will be holding single test for MBA admissions. Like the American education system, these entrances will rank students across the country and enable them to seek admission according to their rankings.
As common entrance tests seem to be the way ahead for the Indian education system, many students welcome the new initiative; while some others feel it will make education more competitive.
Smitashish Sengupta, Class 11 student of DPS Rohini, says, “This would mean students can stop losing sleep over the crazy cut-off percentage system for admissions and instead try and get good rankings in the new aptitude test. It’s a good initiative.”
The test will be conducted twice a year so that those who fail to make the cut once can get another chance. But Dhruv Dhalla, student, first year Maths (Hons), Delhi University feels it will increase the competition. “With only two attempts in a year, students will have to bank on these common entrances to get admissions. It will make it tougher. Each child has a different aptitude. Having a common entrance test just doesn’t make any sense.”
Even parents and teachers support the initiative wholeheartedly. Vandana Sundra, a mother of Class 11 student, “In India as compared to foreign universities, the education system is quite stressful and 100 per cent college cutoff is the evidence. This will make the admission process smoother and easier.”

Sharda University’s SBS commences new academic session

The program was undertaken by Sharda University’s School of Business Studies (SBS) at the SBS auditorium in the university campus.

Sharda University, an institute of excellence, inspiring value-based education, research and development, today commenced its new academic session by organizing an Orientation Program for the fresh crop of students entering in its MBA, MBA (Hosp. Admin.), BBA and B.Com courses. The program was undertaken by Sharda University’s School of Business Studies (SBS) at the SBS auditorium in the university campus. The Orientation Program saw the congregation of well-known industry experts and key figures from Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), faculty members and trainers. At the orientation  Anjan Das, Director, CII, New Delhi shared his views on "Industry Growth and Business Perspective in Emerging Technologies in Globalized Economy". Other experts like  Rajiv Sahdev, Director, Moser Baer and  Anil K. Varshney, Vice President (Corporate Affairs), Reliance Energy addressed the students on   "Expectations of Industry from the Management Students" and "Business opportunities and challenges in the Service Sector in India"  respectively. Speaking on the occasion,  Pradeep Kumar Gupta, Chancellor Sharda University, said, “Sharda University takes pride in commencing the new session for MBA, BBA and B. Com courses. We have organized this special Orientation Program to brief our students about the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead of them during the pursuance of their courses and further when they join the industry. It is a pleasure that many industry experts are present here today to share their experiences with our new students and give them their best wishes for the college life ahead.” As part of the orientation, the students were also sensitized on the academic requirements and curricula of their respective course(s). They were briefed on the choices of specializations available and research projects to be undertaken.  Also presented were talks on rejuvenation of self esteem and personality development.

IIM Ranchi Director reveals its DNA at Conclave 2011

Over the past one year we have seen the new IIMs coming up, which are IIM Ranchi, IIM Rohtak, IIM Raipur and now IIM Trichy, IIM Kashipur and IIM Udaipur. The question that is arising in the minds of MBA education community is: Are these new IIMs following the footsteps of the older IIMs or are they developing a new DNA for themselves? 

Dr. M J Xavier, Director, IIM Ranchi recently provided the answer at the MBAUniverse.com Indian Management Conclave while participating in a panel discussion on the topic ‘The New IIMs: Leveraging the legacy, or creating a new DNA?’. Dr. Xavier, while addressing the gathering of VCs, Directors and Deans of management institutions of the country mentioned about the DNA of IIM Ranchi. He said, “The DNA of IIM Ranchi can be described in the following manner: Holistic development and thought leadership through erudite fusion of eastern knowledge and western processes.” He further explained the DNA of the first IIM of the new IIMs’ club. “The erudite fusion and thought leadership takes place through synthesis of new knowledge, which takes place through research on emerging areas, on Indian management and for the local environment,” he said. “The holistic development takes place through development of the body, mind and the soul, development of the people around, programs for the development of institutions of the area and program for inclusive growth. In this context we have made it compulsory for the students of IIM Ranchi to undergo rural immersion program, environment restoration programmes, programmes for NGOs etc,” Dr. Xavier informed the gathering.Taking the opportunity Dr. Xavier also explained the significance of the B school logo. He mentioned, “The bird depicted in the IIM Ranchi logo is a crow. The bird takes pride going towards the forward direction and signifies our journey in helping the country reach newer growth levels. The slogan is Bahumukhi Vikaas Gantabyam.  It reflects the institute’s vision, which is ‘All round development is the aim.’ The colours used in the logo are green and grey. While the colour green signifies growth and change, grey is the colour of creation and stabilizes the logo,” Dr. Xavier elaborated. Dr. Xavier also shared with the esteemed gathering the key focus areas of IIM Ranchi. He said that the B school is focusing on newer areas of research, such as Business Analytics, Neuro Management, Indian Management, Mining and Manufacturing, Inclusive Growth and Regional Development. Talking about the faculty, Dr. Xavier stated that IIM Ranchi has a mix of faculty from full time faculty, who are PhDs from India and abroad, Adjunct faculty, who have more than 10 years industry experience, visiting faculty from other institutes and industry and scholars in residence, who are thought leaders in different areas who may be associated on a full time or part time basis. The final thought which Dr. Xavier shared was, “Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world. Unreasonable people attempt to adapt the world to themselves. All progress, therefore, depends on unreasonable people. We seek your support for all our unreasonable moves.”

50% management seats vacant after Round 2

Close to 50% seats in the business management course remained vacant after the second round of allotment closed on Tuesday.

The Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) will conduct four rounds of admission to MBA/MMS colleges across the state; admissions will then take place at the individual institute campuses.

In all, 11,005 seats were allotted to the 18,496 students who had applied in this round.

Students who are satisfied with the college that has been assigned to them must confirm their admission between August 3 and 6.

The third round of seat allotment begins from August 10 and 13,724 vacant seats will be up for grabs.

Gujarat Technological University: 40% seats vacant in city's MBA, MCA colleges

Nearly 40 per cent seats in the MBA and MCA colleges in the state have remained vacant, which has sparked a possibility of a third round of reshuffling for admissions. A total of 6,326 seats have remained vacant this year after two rounds of admission reshuffling. The colleges have been given permission to carry out admission on the vacant seats on their own from Thursday. Academicians are concerned over the high number of seats that have remained vacant.

In MBA colleges, there are 14,400 seats, of which 5,923 have remained vacant. In MCA colleges, there are 5,000 seats, of which 1,033 seats have remained vacant.

Admission committee officials of the Gujarat Technological University (GTU) said that a large number of students were granted admission online but cancelled the same after they went to the college to pay the fee and found it lacking in infrastructure and teaching staff. They added that there are six colleges where not a single student has taken admission and 35 colleges with less than ten students who have taken admission this year.

The admission committee has decided to keep the admission in two new colleges that were recently granted permission in Ahmedabad and Rajkot on hold. Both the colleges had 60 seats each.

Virtual Fair - The Foreign Fun-Fair for Professional Management Studies

n an attempt to attract international students, five Indian B-schools will participate in an online student recruitment fair organised by the Graduate Management Admission Council. The Council conducts the GMAT, one of the world’s most widely used entrance test for B-schools. 

In its second year the virtual fair called  will accommodate 50 B-schools across the country and is open to 2,000 students. In India the five schools are — ISB, Hyderabad, IIM Bangalore, Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai and SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai. 

“The main aim for signing up for the fair is to attract international students.” said Rajan Saxena, vice chancellor, NMIMS in Vile Parle. The fair will be held for six hours on September 19 and 20. and will include Boston College, Pennsylvania State University and others

“The recruitment fair process — where universities set up booths, meet students and inform them about their programmes  — has been recreated online,” said Ashish Bhardwaj, regional director, South Asia office of the Council. Last year 35 B-schools were part of the fair with more than 4,000 candidates. But feedback from candidates revealed that they wanted more time to discuss with B-schools, which was why the number has been restricted to 2,000 candidates this year. 

To cope with the increasing demand, the council is now looking at having the fair twice a year. 

Students are registered on a first-come-first-serve basis and registrations for the fair this year will be opened at the end of August.

Principals sceptical of common MBA exam

While the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has decided on an entrance test for management education, principals and experts are sceptical about its implementation. The Common Management Admission management entrance tests apart from the Common Admission Test (CAT) and tests held by deemed universities.

“I am not clear if this sort of proposal will come through. The common entrance test held by states is a big revenue generator and the AICTE cannot decide on their behalf, unless it comes from the ministry. It will be a long battle for them,” said PV Narasimham, director, KJ Somaiya Management Institute.

Apart from the state entrance tests the Management Aptitude Test (MAT) and AIMS Test for Management Admission (MTMA) account for most admissions in the 4,000 private B-schools in the country. Eliminating these would be an uphill task for the AICTE, said experts.

“While the one exam concept is good, greater emphasis must be laid on the kind of exam it is. It should be formatted more on the GMAT that measures the aptitude of a student and is not the main deciding factor,”

IBMC, Stamford Raffles to set up business school in Dubai

IBMC Group, a global financial services conglomerate with operations across the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the UK, announced on Wednesday a tie-up with Stamford Raffles College of Singapore to offer international MBA programme in the UAE, India, Oman and Singapore.

IBMC, which has set up its flagship JRG International Brokerage at Dubai’s DMCC,  said  its business school director and chief executive Sajith Kumar and Colin Pereira, Chairman of Stamford Raffles College, signed a memorandum of understanding  in the presence of Dr George V Antony, academic advisor, IBMC Business School, Arumugam, principal, Stamford Raffles College, and other dignitaries.

“IBMC Business School will start functioning from India, the UAE and Oman immediately and we are happy to be in the forefront to develop quality professionals who can meet the challenges of the dynamic global business,” said Hazza Mohammed Al Dhaheri, Chairman and Managing Director-IBMC Business School. “The proposed business school will be a perfect blend of industry expertise from IBMC group and educational excellence of Stamford Raffles College and University of Derby of the UK for the benefit of the young generation in business education,” 
said Sajith Kumar.

“We look forward to working with IBMC  Group in developing Stamford Raffles College  postgraduate  management Programmes  in India, Oman and the UAE.  I am glad to acknowledge that IBMC shares same passion in developing human capital that shall leave their footprint in industry and commerce,” said  Stamford Raffles College Chairman Colin Felix Pereira.

“The IBMC Group offers a wide range of advanced services through its financial institutions and is highly committed to the investors.  This particular initiative is a part of our Corporate Social Responsibility and our strong commitment to empower the younger generation with relevant knowledge and decision making capabilities,” added Sajithkumar

UNDER ONE ROOF

From 2013, give only one test for MBA admissions

 In a move that will cut down the multiple entrance exams that students are forced to take for admission to management courses across the country, the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has decided to conduct a common admission test from 2012-13. The test will cover admissions to both MBA and postgraduate diploma in management.

The decision to hold a pan-India Common Management Admission Test (CMAT) was taken at the recent executive council meeting of the AICTE, the umbrella body for professional courses. While CMAT will be one of the entrance exams to be held in 2012, the Council wants all its colleges and institutes to admit students based on their CMAT scores from 2013.

"Almost every college was holding an entrance exam. Moreover, each state has its own entrance tests, and private associations have their own exams," AICTE chairman S S Mantha said. "In principle, CMAT will be a test for all AICTE-approved institutes and will reduce the stress and financial burden on students."

However, the Indian Institutes of Management, which are independent and autonomous B-schools, will continue to conduct the CAT (common admission test). Deemed universities will also hold their individual entrance tests. But admission to 4,000 colleges that offer an MBA and another 500 which run diploma programmes will take place on the basis of the CMAT.

"We still have to work out the modalities of conducting the CMAT. But having so many exams, all of varied difficulty levels, also raises concerns about the quality of students who enter this professional course," Mantha added. It is for the first time that the AICTE has spoken about holding an entrance exam; to date, it has largely been an approval-seeking body for new colleges and institutes wanting to expand student intake.

The Management Aptitude Test, which is taken by 3.85 lakh students every year, is currently the largest B-school entrance test. Hari Krishna Maram, governing council member of AIMA which conducts MAT, said "I welcome the idea of a single entrance exam for management courses in the interest of students. The government has been talking about it for quite sometime, but the idea hasn`t taken off. I do not know if a single exam will work since different universities have different admission schedules. MAT, on the other hand, is conducted four times a year and this helps students to take the exam whenever they are free."

Biz school cited for innovation

FOR responding to the challenges of the MBA market in Asia, the Ateneo Graduate School of Business received from the 2011 CMO Asia Best Business Schools Awards international recognition for “innovation leadership” at the Suntec Convention Center in Singapore last July 22.

The award was received by APS registrar Dr. Cesar Mansibang.

CMO Asia, an India-based organization of marketing practitioners, chose from more than a hundred nominated business schools in the Asia-Pacific region who displayed institutional and individual excellence in innovation, leadership, curriculum development, industry interface, and faculty achievements.

Institutional awards were given to the best schools that encouraged innovation leading
to better development, encouraged leadership as part of the curriculum, had the best academic input and excellent industry interface.

Individual professors from various business schools who excelled in their fields in general management, human resource, marketing, finance, operations, information technology, and entrepreneurship were also cited and awarded trophies and certificates of recognition.

Last year, Professor Frank Roa was one of the awardees for best professor in Marketing.

AGSB is the only Philippine business school that figured in the awards, specifically in the innovation leadership category, and is one among five Asian business schools that received the award.

MANGEMENT CONCLAVE FORMING A NEW DNA

The new DNA is now taking shape! Management educators from across the country as well as abroad converged at the second edition of Indian Management Conclave to start the process for designing the new DNA for management education of the country. Held on August 11-12, 2011 in New Delhi under the theme ‘Building a Great B School – The New DNA’ the two day conclave witnessed participation of more than 500 delegates, 40+ eminent speakers from academia and the corporate.

The Conclave witnessed sharing of new learnings by leading B schools like IIMs, ISB, Great Lakes, IMT, IMI, XLRI and many other institutions of repute. The aim was to design the new DNA for management education in India by thinking over the challenges and the opportunities.

The conclave was declared a grand success as it successfully provided the platform to all management education stakeholders to think together on the new DNA for India’s management education sector.

While speaking to the gathering of VCs, Directors, Deans the Chief Guest Shri. Oscar Fernandez, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha and Chairman, Committee on HRD, Government of India urged the management education fraternity to get united to counter the various challenges that are being faced by the country.

Mr. Fernandes said, "The entire world is looking at India for their knowledge needs. We have several advantages. We have size, we have talent and we have ambition. India has a big role to play. For the proper performance of this role there is a need to counter some challenges. At the forefront is the challenge of education for all. With only 12% people going to colleges the road ahead is full of challenges."

The Keynote Address of the Indian Management Conclave 2011 saw Dr. Srikant M. Datar, Arthur Lowes Dickinson Professor of Accounting at Harvard University & Author of 'Rethinking the MBA: Business Education at a crossroad' deliver the special address on the topic 'Rethinking the MBA Curriculum in Indian context' on the Day 1 of the Conclave, Thursday, August 11, 2011. "Even though the crisis hour is yet to come, the difficult hour has already arrived and we need to be prepared for it," said Dr. Datar.

The conclave also witnessed special address by Dr. Pritam Singh, Director General, IMI and Dr. Bibek Banerjee, Director and Academic Mentor, IMT Ghaziabad.

Dr. Pritam Singh said, "Knowledge symbolises light. For 40 years we were looking at West for light, but now the Sun has again started to shine from the East. The West is now looking at East for knowledge. India has several advantages. One of them is demography. By 2040 our country will have 65% working population. India will become the hub for those searching for manpower. This is the time to capture the entire world through our power of mind. The B schools need to act on this and build the power of mind."

One of the major highlights of the Conclave 2011 was the panel discussion in which the Director of the new IIMs – IIM Rohtak and IIM Ranchi - shared their roadmap for the future. The Directors -- IIM Ranchi Director Dr. MJ Xavier & IIM Rohtak Director Dr. P Rameshan -- said that the new IIMs are trying their best to add as well as alter the existing DNA of IIMs for their future growth. “We want to go ahead and adopt latest education technologies to form a modern gurukul,” said Dr. MJ Xavier, Director, IIM Ranchi.

Dr. Bibek Banerjee, Director and Academic Mentor, IMT Ghaziabad in his speech urged the B schools to balance Market Driven approach with Market Driving approach. "The innovations at B schools should be designed in collaboration with the industry," he said.

The Day 2 of the conclave witnessed special address by Dr. Lu Wei, Associate Dean, Antai College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiaotong University, China. "The B schools in Asia should no more be looking towards the West for developing their education models. With China and India going strong there is need for strengthening our collaboration in management education domain. This is the Asian century and we should utilise our advantages for the benefit of both the countries," said Dr. Wei.

Another key highlight of the conclave was the Valedictory Address by Mr. Dilip Chenoy, MD & CEO, National Skill Development Corporation. Mr. Chenoy urged the B schools to move towards a competence based learning.

Dr. Rajan Saxena, Vice Chancellor, NMIMS Mumbai also gave a highly experienced speech. He said, ““Among several challenges that management schools today face is that of governance. Over a period of time several reports on management education in India have pointed to the lack of mere absence of governance in the institutions. Consequently the quality of education has suffered when we talk of the governance. One has to focus on not just Boards autonomy to take the decision but equally on faculty led governance. The question here is how to ensure autonomy and accountability simultaneously.”

Dr. H Chaturvedi, Alt President, EPSI & Director, BIMTECH also shared his insights on bringing change at Conclave 2011. He said, “Collaboration is the keyword, if B schools wish to survive in today’s cut throat market conditions. We don’t only need to collaborate within the borders of our country but also beyond our border. The B schools which do not collaborate will have to perish. Collaboration is a continuous process.”

Some of the topics which were discussed at Conclave 2011 were: Developing a Policy framework that fosters excellence & innovation in Indian management education; New IIMs: Leveraging the legacy, or creating a new DNA?; Governance Model for Great B-school; Great B-school from the Corporate Lens; Discovering the New DNA: Lessons from IT/ITES sector; Changing face of Business: How B-schools need to adapt; Challenges of setting up a New campus; Beyond Classroom Learning; Building an Academic Brand: Branding Challenges for a B-school; Building a Great B-schools: Engaging with Corporate India for a win-win – the expectations and approaches.

Some of the other eminent speakers at the Conclave 2011 were: Mr. K Ramkumar, Executive Director, ICICI Bank; Dr. Bala Balachandran, Founder and Dean of Great Lakes, Chennai; Dr. M. Rammohan Rao, Professor & Dean Emeritus, ISB Hyderabad; Fr. E Abraham SJ, Director, XLRI Jamshedpur; Ms. Savita Mahajan, Deputy Dean, ISB Hyderabad & CEO, ISB Mohali Campus; Dr. Eileen Peacock, Vice President & Chief Officer, Asia of AACSB International; Dr. JD Singh, Director General, Jaipuria Group of Institutes; Dr Ashok Kolaskar, Vice Chancellor, KIIT University; Dr. Rajendra Nargundkar, Director, IMT Nagpur; Dr. Sesha Iyer, Director, SPJIMR; Dr V Panduranga Rao, Director, IMT Hyderabad; Dr. Bhimaraya Metri, Dean, Strathclyde SKIL Business School; Dr. AM Sherry, Director, IMT- Center for Distance Learning; Mr. Balvinder Singh Kalsi, CEO & MD, DU Pont India; Dr. Ganesh Natarajan, Vice Chairman and CEO, Zensar Technologies.

The IMC 2011 conclave was partnered by India’s top knowledge companies and educational institutions and media firms. These are: Strategic Partner: Institute of Management Technology (IMT) Group; B-school Partner-NMIMS, BIMTECH; Corporate Sponsor-IBM; University Partner-Symbiosis International University, KIIT University’s School of Management; Associate B-School Partners- Strathclyde SKIL Business School, Educomp Raffles Higher Education Ltd, AKGIM Ghaziabad;  Research Publishing Partner-Emerald Group Publishing Limited; Knowledge Partners-McGraw-Hill Education, Harvard Business Publishing; Technology Partner-SunGard Higher Education; Print Media Partner-MINT; Television Media Partner-CNBC TV 18.

VTU to start PG courses in Bangalore Centre

Visvesvaraya Technological University is all set to introduce post-graduate courses like Masters in Computer Applications and Masters in Business Administration apart from post graduate courses in Engineering from this academic year.With the construction of the University’s Bangalore Centre over two acres on Magadi Road, the Vice-Chancellor  Dr H Maheshappa told The New Indian     Express that courses would begin from this academic year. “We have written to the Karnataka Examination Authority informing them about the availability of these courses and the data of the seats available for inclusion during the counselling process,” he said.In the letter, he has informed the KEA that 120 MBA seats, 120 MCA seats and 25 seats each in five M Tech courses would be available for the students to choose at the Bangalore Centre.  When questioned about no All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) intimation available on these courses, he clarified that an autonomous university need not seek AICTE’s approval but would inform the statutory body about the      introduction of these courses. While students would welcome more engineering seats at the Post-graduation level, they have been apprehensive about the quality of infrastructure in government-run institutes. However, Dr Malleshappa allayed such fears and said the decision to introduce the course was taken following the availability of infrastructure. “The three-storey building housing PG classrooms and administrative area is complete with only interior work to be taken up.  The regional office will also have laboratories, guest houses and faculty quarters and has been built at the cost of `25 crore,” he adds.The work at Muddenahalli campus too is all set to begin next week and the vice-chancellor hoped that admission for the various courses on the campus will be possible from next academic year.   Revamp of UBDT Engg CollegeThe first ever Government engineering college in the state the UBDT Engineering college in Davangere will now get a revamp of its infrastructure at the cost of `2 crore.  The college, brought under the VTU earlier this year, was found in a really bad state.

Indian MBA Student Awarded with 2011 DAAD Prize

Summer 2011. Every year, an HHL – Leipzig Graduate School of Management graduate receives an award for Best Foreign Student. Yatin Mulky (25) from India was awarded this year's DAAD Prize, which comes with a monetary prize of EUR 1,000 in the presence of the Indian Ambassador, Mr. Sudhir Vyas, during the graduation ceremony in Leipzig on July 30, 2011.

Only 200 out of approximately 200,000 foreign students in Germany have received this award this year. It is presented to students from abroad who are enrolled at a German university and demonstrate an excellent superior performance.

Since the fall of 2010, Yatin Mulky, from Mumbai, has been enrolled in the Master Program in General Management (MBA) at the oldest business school in German-speaking countries, HHL – Leipzig Graduate School of Management. In addition to excellent academic performance, Mr. Mulky showed great commitment during extracurricular activities as a project manager for the European Ivy League, a soccer tournament between European business schools, organized by HHL students, or during The Negotiation Challenge (TNC), an international negotiation competition organized by HHL.

Yatin Mulky has a Bachelor's degree in Pharmaceutics. He shows great entrepreneurial interest in the field of healthcare management after working at large-scale international pharmaceutical companies as well as the Nadathur S. Raghavan Center for Entrepreneurial Learning at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Bangalore. Mr. Mulky, who already learned German in India and improved his skills here, very consciously chose HHL due to its focus on entrepreneurship. After completing his MBA course, Mr. Mulky would like to work in Germany for the time being.

HHL - Leipzig Graduate School of Management

HHL is a university-level institution and ranks amongst the leading international Business Schools. The goal of the oldest business school in German-speaking Europe is to educate effective, responsible and entrepreneurially minded leaders. In addition to HHL's international focus the combination of theory and practice plays a key role. HHL stands out for its excellent teaching, its clear research focus, its effective knowledge transfer into practice as well as its outstanding student services.

SC/ST candidates depend upon PSU banks for education loans

Large private lenders like HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank lag behind their public sector counterparts in terms of providing education loans to scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribe (ST) candidates.

While PSU banks like Indian Bank and Canara Bank have been at the forefront of providing education loans to SC/ST candidates, large private sector lenders have very little exposure, says Reserve Bank data.The outstanding education loans to SC/ST candidates at the end of the 2010-11 fiscal stood at Rs 1.58 crore in case of HDFC Bank, Rs 57 lakh in case of ICICI Bank and Rs 37 lakh in case of Axis Bank.ICICI Bank is the largest private sector bank in the country, while HDFC Bank and Axis Bank are also major lenders with operations throughout the country.Compared to the private sector lenders, even relatively smaller PSU banks like Indian Bank, Andhra Bank and Syndicate Bank have provided substantial education loans to SC/ST candidates.The data, which was provided by the Finance Ministry in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, said the outstanding education loans to SC/ST candidates amounted to Rs 484.56 crore in case of Indian Bank, Rs 146.08 crore in case of Andhra Bank and Rs 109.47 crore in case of Syndicate Bank.The country''s largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI), however, was not at the forefront of providing education loans to SC/ST candidates. The outstanding exposure of SBI was Rs 238 crore at the end of 2010-11.The Indian Banks'' Association (IBA), a body which represents public sector, private and foreign banks, had already circulated a Model Education Loan Scheme with a view to encourage financial inclusion.Under the scheme, Indian nationals that secured admission to professional and technical education in India or abroad through an entrance test and merit-based selection process are eligible for an educational loan.

WORLD TOUR : through EDUCATION

The World at Your Feet

In a world where global markets have made cross-cultural forays into the world economy, among many of the lesser gods, playing heroes, rules one. A translator is that person who helps bring cultures closer by making them mutually coherent. For without coherence, there is no moving forward. He uses language to bridge the differences that arise in global collaboration. Riti Patowary is a student of Mandarin, doing a PG Diploma from Delhi University. She says, “With a boom in world economy, many foreign, especially oriental countries are trying to learn English. However, not many of them succeed. So, in the end, a translator saves the day.”

Job Profile
A translator is hired by companies to mediate between two countries to facilitate business transactions. A translator needs to use his source language and convert it to its equivalent in the other language, usually called the target language. A translator must be cognizant of the multiplicity of meanings and the nuances inherent in the language of another country. Authenticity of the original document’s intent also has to be maintained, even if the source language holds multiple significations. Translators can be asked to work on a number of myriad documents, ranging from medical, to scientific, technical, literary, legal, educational etc, opening up multifarious job opportunities. The job also entails extensive etymological research.

Budding translator, Riti says, “There is a good demand for translators at present. With the oriental cultures catching on, knowledge of an oriental language like Chinese or Japanese is an added incentive. One may initially have to start out as a freelancer but permanent jobs are equally available. There is a lot of hope and scope in this field now. It is a good option to choose.”

Skills Sets
A knack for learning and knowing different languages, paired with a flair for writing are the starting points for any good translator. A translator also needs to be a good editor as translation involves much proof reading and editing. The person should be comfortable with doing research for a conversion of the language of one country to another involves quite a bit of research on the cultures and customs of both countries. One should also possess sharp analytical ability. Since this is a profession based on global communication, an amicable personality, professional networking skills and a confident approach are an added advantage.

Eligibility
Translators mostly start out as freelancers. In the past, a sound knowledge of and a knack for learning foreign languages led to good freelance translators who ended up in good jobs eventually. However, in the modern world of cut throat competition, certification of quality is imperative. Hence, a Bachelor’s degree is a minimum requirement. A major in foreign languages is not necessary, many diploma courses and training programs are now available all over India which should suffice. So, one can now go up to a Post Graduation in Translation Studies and simultaneously intern for professional experience.

Scope
The world is in an increasing need of translators due to the economic boom. India’s starring role in it has made Indian translators increasingly popular. An MBA who has knowledge of a foreign language, especially oriental, has an added advantage. Translators can freelance, join companies as language analysts, or even be inducted into governments for foreign affairs. The job can be on a per assignment basis but permanent jobs are not uncommon.

Salary
A translator’s salary begins with an estimate of Rs 10,000-20,000 and can quickly move up to Rs 35,000 to a maximum of Rs 80,000 to Rs 1,00,000 lakh per month.

Institute Watch
· Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
· Department of Germanic & Romance Studies, Delhi University, Delhi
· Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi
· Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Jawaharlal Nehru Academy of Languages, New Delhi
· IIFT Campus, New Delhi
· New Delhi YMCA, Institute for Career Studies, New Delhi
· Instituto Camoes-Portuguese Cultural Centre, New Delhi
· Institute of Japanese Language, MOSAI, New Delhi
· Italian Embassy Cultural Centre, New Delhi
· Chinese Language Institute, Delhi
· Alliance Francaise
· Max Mueller Bhawan
· India-China Chamber of Commerce & Industry
· Instituto Hispania Spanish Language & Culture
· Symbiosis Institute of Foreign & Indian Languages, Pune
· The English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad

Action-based business education

Need Of the Hour

Alison Davis-Blake has heard all the disparaging cliches about misguided MBAs being responsible for every catastrophe from the 2008 global financial crisis to the near-collapse of the U.S. auto industry.

Nonetheless, demand for business-school degrees is booming, even accelerating in these chaotic economic times.

So what is the new dean at a prestigious B-school to do?

Davis-Blake, 52, sat down with me last week to talk about dynamic change in the world's economy and how the University of Michigan's Stephen M. Ross School of Business plans to address it.

For the record, her first acts as dean were to:

• Move the dean's office from the third floor, with a view of the famous gothic-style Law School quad, to a more utilitarian second-floor spot -- with a view of a parking garage and brick wall. However, "this office is essentially on the main highway of the building, a little closer to the faculty, staff and students I'll be working with every day."

• Hire a chief development officer from Cornell and appoint five new associate deans -- all from U-M faculty -- to drive initiatives ranging from fund-raising and alumni relations to a stronger U-M presence in India, Africa and other emerging economies.

"In a very chaotic economic environment, increasingly fragmented as to what the end user of business education is demanding, you cannot be all things to all people," Davis-Blake told me, even as she described Ross as a "premier business school, full-service, not a niche player."

What the Ross school is not, she emphasized, is a specialized finance laboratory. Rather, it stresses action-based experiential learning and working across boundaries -- scientists with accountants, Americans with Chinese, one company with another.

In other words, she disputes one of the common criticisms of MBAs as finance-obsessed cretins who thwart the good works and creativity of engineers and scientists -- an argument at the core of auto industry guru Bob Lutz's recent book, "Car Guys vs. Bean Counters: The Battle for the Soul of American Business."

Indeed, said Davis-Blake, many engineers go on to earn MBA degrees. Only last month, the U-M Board of Regents approved a new master's of science degree in entrepreneurship, jointly taught by faculties from the business and engineering schools.

During her five years at Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, Davis-Blake launched a program to have every undergrad study abroad. Look for that to be a focus at U-M, which will be expanding its emphasis on India and China as student destinations.

But even as it prepares students to think globally, U-M must be ever more attentive to the needs of its home state and its major city, Detroit, where its MBA students have long worked on urban projects with Focus: HOPE.

"Higher education used to be a lot more sleepy," Davis-Blake said. "Today all the top schools are deeply invested in nontraditional education -- executive MBAs, evening MBAs, weekend MBAs, global MBAs, nondegree executive education. Those are very sensitive to economic downturns and upturns, so you have to be very attuned to your markets ... very nimble and adaptable to your marketplace."

Spoken like someone who gets that she's facing more economic chaos.