India in top 4 among B-school destinations

That the U.S. and the U.K. are the most popular destinations for management studies is not big news. But the findings of a survey conducted by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), which conducts GMAT, a B-school entrance test used globally, have thrown up some surprises. Number 4 on the list of the Top 10 preferred destinations for B-school aspirants is India, with Canada at number 3. Israel and Spain are the other surprise entrants.

According to experts, India’s foray into the elite league has a lot to do with the emergence of institutions such as the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, which was ranked No. 12 globally in the Financial Times (London) Global MBA rankings earlier this year. The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), which use GMAT as an entrance test for their executive MBA programmes, are also responsible for India’s popularity.

“B-school aspirants are looking at a return on their investment, and with the investment being lower for management education in India when compared to the U.S. and the U.K., the returns are higher,” said an expert. Many feel that India can soon emerge as a hub for management studies amongst Asian countries such as Singapore and the Philippines as the country will be a far less expensive destination than western giants.

Although making it to the U.S. has, for long, been the great Indian dream, it is not the only North American country that’s attracting desi students. Many are now making a beeline for Canada, which not only has a robust economy and liberal visa policies but also promises good job prospects. “In testing year 2010, India was the top foreign country that sent score reports to Canadian graduate management programmes,” reveals GMAC’s survey.

According to the report, 78% of full-time MBA programmes in Canada received the largest number of foreign applications from Indians. Not surprisingly, all Canadian management programmes that recruited foreigners targeted India, as did 44% of European programmes that undertook special recruitment efforts to attract overseas candidates.

Source: The Economic Times (Online Edition), November 22, 2010

100,000 students to take AIEEE online

The All India Engineering / Architecture Entrance Examination (AIEEE) goes online from next year. One lakh (100,000) student will get the opportunity to appear for the first online AIEEE to be conducted in April 2011 as a pilot run. According to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) officials, the idea is to scale it up to a complete online examination in a year or two. This will make AIEEE world’s largest online examination.

AIEEE is conducted by CBSE for admission to various National Institute of Technologies (NITs), Indian Institute of Information Technologies (IIITs), deemed universities and for a few state institutions. Last year, over 12 lakh (1.2 million) students appeared for the examination, making it the world’s largest entrance test.

According to CBSE officials, the pen and paper based test will be conducted on April 24, 2011 across 84 cities in India as well as in Dubai and Riyadh. Meanwhile, the date sheet for the online test, which is going to be conducted across select 20 cities in India, is yet to be prepared. Though sale of information bulletins will start from December 15 from various branches of banks, institutions and regional offices of CBSE, those willing to apply online can submit online applications from November 23, 2010. Each select 20 cities will conduct the online exam for 5,000 students.

Speaking to TOI, CBSE Chairman Vineet Joshi said: The exam will not be conducted over internet and it will be a Computer Based Test (CBT) in line with the likes of CAT. Like the CAT, the online exam will be conducted over a period of time, the datesheet for which is under preparation and we are waiting for the completion of registration of online applicants. But unlike CAT, the online option is not compulsory and the first 100,000 who opt for it will be allowed to take the test online. The rest of the students will have to appear as per our conventional method. We want to assure all aspirants and security aspect is a priority which is why we are doing a pilot run,” Joshi said.

Source: The Times of India, November 22, 2010

India hunts among PIOs, NRIs to fill faculty posts

A weak Western economy has raised the hopes of top Indian institutions scouting to fill faculty positions. Even as the setting up of a government fund to attract academic superstars from abroad is in limbo, Indian embassies and high commissions have been roped in to sell the dream of a classroom called India, to young Ph.D. fellows.

Interestingly, the embassies have also obliged and set up video conferencing facilities for heads of Indian institutes to connect with Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) interested in moving back to teach. India, which is constantly paralleled to China, has probably not been able to empty out Ivy League institutes of their Nobel laureates and top-notch professors, but is finally seeing some success in persuading fresh Ph.D. graduates to return home.

Probably hence, the IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology) have designed bright advertisements and sent them to Indian embassies and high commissions in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Italy, Austria and Japan. Come back, they say, back to where you belong.

Tech schools, which have been perpetually plagued by faculty shortage, are receiving a flood of applications. “There is currently an overflow of applicants wanting to teach in our institutes, as employment opportunities for Ph.D. fellows in the U.S. and Europe are not very bright,” said IIT-Delhi Director Surendra Prasad.

In fact, IIT-Delhi has been conducting interviews with prospective candidates on Skype, and has been able to draw some bright Indians back home. None of the eight new IITs set up in 2008 and 2009 have been able to fill their sanctioned faculty posts.

Source: The Times of India, November 22, 2010