Get 72% off on an annual Print +Digital subscription of India Today Magazine

SUBSCRIBE

Education with a cause

The B-Schools of India need to change their capitalist mindset and adopt a philanthropic approach.

Listen to Story

Advertisement

JATIN BHANDARI,
CEO & FOUNDER, PYTHAGURUS, MBA ADMISSIONS CONSULTING SERVICES, DELHI

Not so long ago, while returning from Nainital to Delhi late in the evening, I was struck by the seemingly phenomenal growth in the education sector in Noida and Ghaziabad. The very telling symbols were these gigantic hoardings from B-schools that promised to make a difference. While I do not clearly remember the names, I was surprised by the marketing tactics they employ.

advertisement

I am not denigrating the existence of these B-schools that have popped up all over the country but am trying to understand the intention of some of these capitalist educationists. Is there a way to measure the value added by these institutions? On analysing the financial statements of popular programmes at Ivy League universities, we found that the top 50 programmes had the ability to generate more than $312 billion by way of endowments.

Harvard University, US, was sitting on a war chest of a whopping $35 billion dollars raised exclusively from endowments as they had made a difference to the students that graduated from these programmes. Education in India follows a capitalist model aimed at generating revenue when it should be following a philanthropic approach like most top international institutions that survive without government intervention. Our education system needs to reimagine its priorities.

Creating value Harvard Business School is not selling 5,000 seats a year. A school that had 700 enrollments in early 1920s is still limiting itself to 948 students in 2015. It is because their model is different and they are not keen on making money from students. The goal is not to increase revenue but to have students go back to society and create value for themselves and others.

Generating a spirit of camaraderie These institutions create a sense of belonging during the two years that students spend on campus. Students imbued with a sense of purpose and an strong intention to make a difference become more productive when operating within a fraternity.

Inculcating the sense of community These are creating not only world business leaders, but are also taking the ownership of producing leaders who intend to make a difference. During the two years of their MBA programme, they participate in student-led community initiatives. Continuous support can have an ever-lasting impact.

Ensuring a satisfied customer How satisfied are MBA graduates from these top programmes? How proud are they to be a part of the group? Was the rigour of the programme challenging enough to deliver pedadogy that students were happy to have invested their time and money in?

advertisement

They left their homes, families and jobs and paid to join these programmes. These courses take initiative to create promised learning experiences. The absence of a philanthropic culture and presence of capitalism is reflected in their ways of scaling up the institutions. The goal should be not only to make money, but to make a difference.