Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship (XIME), a premier business school with campuses in Bengaluru, Kochi and Chennai, will host its annual conference on ‘Indian Management Education: Time to Transform’ here on January 29-30.

Delegates

The meet is expected to bring together a group of competent foreign and Indian academics along with representatives of Indian business and industry, with Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman of AICTE, addressing the inaugural session.

The conference will also examine the need and scope for transformation of management education. The range of topics to be covered are: curriculum, teaching methods, industry relevance, legal and regulatory aspects and global benchmarking.

Foreign dignitaries

“Academics from overseas representing North America, BRICS and East-Asia are expected to add perspective and depth to the discussions by providing valuable inputs and insights derived from their experiences and highlighting best practices,” a press release said.

The meet is also being held against the background of a growing perception that the Indian management education needs transformation.

Largest market

MBA as a universal professional course has India as its largest market, going by the number of business schools and of the MBA students enrolled in them.

The country's 3,000-odd schools and two lakh students have enabled it to accede to the top of the global roster. The global conversation at any time on the nature, content or orientation of management education does resonate in India.

But for Indian management education to hold its own and to be counted among the best in the field, it should not only be both open to innovations and ideas that come from elsewhere, but be proactive enough to make its own contribution to global learning.

It would, however, not be wide of the mark to say that despite the phenomenal growth of management education in India, there is some considerable way to go before realization of this ideal scheme of things.

Against the background of a growing perception, if not evidence, that the Indian management education has an overdue need for transformation and the awareness that the issue has to be addressed in an actionable manner, the conference will be universally regarded as most timely and useful.