CMAT Exam@ AICTE chairman speaks on CMAT success, state of MBA edu & role of B-schools

(prHWY.com) February 28, 2013 - Noida, India -- The CMAT February 2013 ended on February 25 and it is being hailed as a very successful exam. Dr S S Mantha, chairman of the AICTE, which conducts the test, in a free-flowing interview with MBAUniverse.com, spoke his heart out. Dr Mantha spoke elaborately on CMAT, its future road map, the Indian MBA education sector and roles B schools can play in improving the scenario in management education.

Excerpts of the interview

Q: What is your reaction on CMAT February 2013?

A: We have delivered on what we had set out to achieve. In February, around 1.55 lakh candidates took the test, which was held in a five-day window. One of the main features was that the entire testing window passed off without a single glitch - either technical or academic.

We hope to continue our progress, as the sole purpose of CMAT is to provide benefits to students. We want them to take a single test because multiple tests mean spending more money and more importantly, going through much pain.

Q: What led to this massive increase in the number of CMAT takers?

A: The main reason is the acceptance of CMAT by more and more states. The states which are accepting CMAT scores are: Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Nagaland, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka and Jharkhand. The credibility of CMAT has also been established. We are following the objective of delivery to end-users without any flaws.

Q: So what lies ahead for CMAT....?

A: We would like CMAT to be counted among the best MBA entrance tests in the world. We want to make it the best in India. So, the aim is to create a global benchmark and the next target is to excel that. We are hopeful to do that.
Another challenge is to maintain quality & deliver when the number increases even further.

Q: Tell us about the CMAT next exam, to be held in May 2013...

A: We will be holding another CMAT testing window in May. This CMAT test will only accept candidature of those who missed out one of the last two CMAT tests held in September 2012 and February 2013, respectively. As more states are accepting CMAT, a lot of students could not be accommodated.

What is to be noted is that we have introduced the additional May CMAT for this year only. This is not the third test and organizing the additional test will not be a regular practice in future. Though the final dates have not been fixed yet, it may take place in the middle of May. The registration for May CMAT Exam will begin in the first week of March.

Q: Recently there have been talks regarding AICTE launching a new accreditation body. What's the rationale, since NBA already exists?

A: Yes, the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) is the autonomous body promoted by AICTE. We are setting up one more body for capacity building. There are a lot of programs offered by various institutes. Considering the huge number of such programs, it is not possible for a single body to evaluate all of them. So, a new body has been mooted.

Q: AICTE is keen on promoting the BBA-MBA integrated programs. What are your views on these programs?

A: We gave approval to 200 institutes last year. This year, the process is still on and by March 10, everything will become clear.

Q: What is your advice to deans and directors for improving the MBA education scenario?

A: They need to revise curriculum and adopt case study-based approach. Industry interface is another crucial area. It is not necessary that you always tie up with big a corporate or an MNC. A lot of mid-sized companies are there, so are MSMEs. These organizations may provide ample opportunities for research and case studies. This way, both the company and the respective B school will be benefitted.

B schools should not restrict themselves in academic discussions only and contribute towards creating social consciousness. Being operational in the society, B schools cannot and should not immune them from happenings and trends that affect the society at large.

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