The UGC claims and The IIPM

Sept. 10, 2010 - PRLog -- In response to a statement issued by the University Grants Commission (UGC), IIPM strongly came out with a public notice on September 9 in leading national dailies.  

IIPM’s notice primarily comprised of three headings.

The first heading stated that “IIPM IS A WORLD CLASS INSTITUTION WHICH PROVIDES WORLD CLASS EDUCATION”. It further stated in pointers that:

1. IIPM programmes in Planning and Entrepreneurship are superior in content and rigour to those of any MBA/MBE level programme taught anywhere else.
2. IIPM sends more students for Global Exposure than perhaps the total of all other B-Schools combined and Faculty from the maximum no. of Top 20 Global B-Schools visit IIPM.
3. From alternate budgets to world-class magazines and journals to bold and intellectually stimulating articles to India’s topmost best selling books on management and economics, IIPM Faculty’s Intellectual Capital has reached and benefitted more Indians than all other B-Schools of India put together.
4. IIPM faculty is involved in more Industry Interface than any other B-School in India.
5. IIPM is visited by more companies for Campus Placements than any other B-School in India and IIPM places more students in India Inc. than any other B-School in India.

The second heading mentioned, “IIPM IS CONSTANTLY RANKED AT THE TOP” and elaborated:

1. IIPM has been ranked the No.1 B-School in India, ahead of all the IIMs in Global Exposure by Zee Business Best B-Schools Survey 2009 and ranked the 5th Best B-School overall.
2. IIPM has been ranked No.1 in International Exposure (ahead of all the IIMs) and the 9th Best B-School in India by DNA Best B-Schools Survey 2010.
3. IIPM has been ranked the No.1 Private B-School of North India by the Hindustan Times Best B-Schools Survey 2010. IIPM was also ranked the 8th Best B-School in the country that students aspire for and the 9th Best Private B-School in India in the same survey.
4. IIPM has been ranked the No.1 B-School in Delhi NCR by Mail Today Best B-Schools Survey 2010. The same survey also ranked IIPM No.1 in 25 Top of the Mind Institutes, No.1 in International Exposure, No.2 in Placements and Potential to Network and No.3 in Faculty.

The third heading boldly stated, “IIPM IS NOT A UNIVERSITY NOR DOES IT GIVE DEGREES! DOES ANYONE THINK OTHERWISE?” It further explained:

“We are a heavily advertised institution and obviously every one has a clear idea that similar to the IIMs, ISB etc., IIPM is not a university nor does it give degrees! Have you ever seen an IIPM UNIVERSITY advertisement? Obviously the answer is NO! However as per a recent UGC statement, the public is being made to think that IIPM claims to be a university and gives its own degrees. When did that claim ever happen? In fact till 2008 IIPM advertisements used to clearly mention that IIPM does not come under the UGC/AICTE. During that time a similar motivated, defamatory and misleading claim of UGC was challenged by IIPM by way of a Civil Writ Petition being CWP No.4567/08 before the Hon’ble Delhi High Court. An interim order dated 27-06-08 was passed by the Hon’ble High Court, which was in the nature of a consent order, in favour of IIPM and in the same order IIPM was even asked to remove the line ‘that IIPM courses do not come under UGC/AICTE.’ General public and student community are hereby requested to be aware of the same and not be confused by motivated illogical statements which say nothing new. IIPM has made its representation to the UGC and the matter is already sub-judice. All current IIPM communication is as per the Hon’ble High Court’s direction. It is also pertinent to note that IIPM has never claimed itself to be a University or a Deemed University as defined under the sections 2(f) and (3) of the UGC Act 1956, nor is it conferring degrees as specified by the UGC under section 22(3) of the UGC Act. In simple words, no communication/advertisement of IIPM in its history has ever claimed that IIPM is a university or that it gives its own degrees.”

“THE SAME IS HIGHLIGHTED IN OUR WEBSITE BOLDLY! IN FACT IIPM HAS NOT CARED TO SEEK ANY RECOGNITION LOOKING AT THE PATHETIC LEVEL OF EDUCATION PROVIDED IN THE MASSIVE MAJORITY OF THE SO CALLED RECOGNISED INSTITUTIONS. THIS PRECISELY IS THE REASON WHY MORE STUDENTS CHOOSE IIPM AS THEIR DESTINATION FOR ENTREPRENEURIAL EDUCATION THAN ANY OTHER INSTITUTION IN INDIA.”

The public notice summed up with IIPM’s punch line for decades, “DARE TO THINK BEYOND THE IIMs!”