New Delhi: The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) on Saturday asked the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) institutions to stop offering one-year PG degrees (Executive MBA). The Ministry reasoned that it is not in line with UGC norms.
According to UGC norms, Master degrees can be awarded to two-year MBA programmes in the 3+2 higher education format. One-year courses are supposed to be PG diplomas as per UGC.
“IIMs have been awarding degrees such as the one-year executive MBA degree in violation of UGC regulations,” the Ministry reportedly told IIM directors.
“All IIMs are directed to act as per the provisions of the IIM Act, 2017, and the interpretation of Department of Legal Affairs that in awarding degrees, the institutes are required to act in conformity with UGC Act, 1956,” a report in The Economic Times quoted an official as saying.
The IIM Act of 2017 gave permission to IIMs to grant degrees for two-year MBA courses. Despite objection from the HRD Ministry in 2018 and 2019, the IIMs went ahead with the one-year degree as well.
The Law Ministry reportedly said that IIMs were given power to grant degrees, diplomas and other academic distinctions but the IIM Act, 2017, did not define a ‘degree’ nor empowered IIMs or the boards to make any regulations in this regard, adding that the IIMs violated UGC norms.