HYDERABAD: An average MBA course taken by a particular student is a very broad subject and covers a lot of fields, including Finance, Human Resources, Marketing, Business Management, among others. And there is a lack of educational institutes which offer specialised integrated courses to students.
GITAM School of International Business (GSIB) is an autonomous school of excellence within the ambit of GITAM University. Since Visakhapatnam, the ‘City of Destiny’, is uniquely located and endowed with infrastructure for international business, GSIB offers programmes in international business only in Vizag, and they are not replicated in Hyderabad and Bangalore campuses. GSIB stands focused in International Business and Global Entrepreneurship, which are its thrust areas for teaching, research consultancy and executive education.
The CSR-GHRDC B-School Survey-2013 placed GSIB as the second best school specialising in International Business and fourth in B-School of excellence. The school offers MBA (International Business), MBA (Global Logistics and Supply Chain Management) and MBA (International Banking and Finance) as three PG programmes in International Business.
GSIB also has collaborative arrangements with Burgundy School of Business, International University of Paris and Kathmandu University School of Management. During a visit to the city on Friday, Prof VK Kumar, dean and director of GSIB, spoke to Express about the education system in India, the need for better faculty and how to train young students to be prepared for the demanding pressures of the corporate industry.
Excerpts:
What was the idea behind introducing a course only on International Business?
What we offer at GITAM is not the usual run-of-the mill courses but a specialised course in International Business. We don’t cultivate students to think through functional programmes such as accounts and finance, among others. We encourage students to think in an integrated way and provide a curriculum in an integrated form. I strongly believe that we must provide global exposure to the students. So, we regularly invite foreign professors to come and teach the students.
What is your opinion on the current higher education system in India?
To be frank, the current state of higher education in India is in a very bad state. Most universities are intellectually bankrupt. Though the government has expanded the education system and made higher education available to thousands of students, it has diluted the quality of education in the process. Unless we focus on quality education, our education system will collapse.
Do you think the differences between AP and Telangana governments over education will affect the students?
The problem is that young students have become victims of the fight between the two state governments, which is unfortunate. Politicians must always think from the students’ point of view before taking any decision. I feel that while universities supported by the central government offer quality education, most State-run universities are organisationally bankrupt. They are bogged down by reservations and have poor management skills.
What about the faculty members? How are the teaching standards in our universities?
There is an acute shortage of quality faculty in our universities. Our research output is also very minimal. The problem with most teachers is that they have not yet shifted from the past and continue to use age-old methods of teaching. Today, with the advancement of technology and introduction of Internet, students expect professors to teach in an interactive manner. More importantly, we need to create an environment to motivate youngsters to get into teaching.
What about the students? How is the current generation faring in terms of talent and intellect?
Today, 85 per cent of engineering students are not employable. Parents too are not supportive and these students are forced into engineering and management courses and by the time they graduate, they lack the skills and knowledge to sustain in the industry. This needs to be addressed. Expansion of education must always be done with excellence and one must not compromise on quality.