Fifty two graduates of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmadabad have lodged a complaint in the Gujarat High Court against the prestigious institution as they claim that their degrees have no recognition whatsoever.

The whole tussle started when the graduates who enrolled themselves for Masters in Business Administration course were awarded a degree in Masters in Management Studies, after the completion of their final academic year.

The degree that the institute conferred upon the graduates did not have any national or international recognition, the students alleged.

This mismanagement of the highly reputed institution took a heavy toll on the student’s careers as one of the petitioners had to do away with his employment opportunity. 

Immediate Consequences faced by IIM-A

Justice G R Udhwani sent an official notice to the  Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and the Ministry of Higher Education on behalf of the student’s demands to confer upon them their respective degrees according to the course they had enrolled for.

The graduates of this ePGP (e-mode Post Graduation Program) had started their course back in 2017. The students also claimed that the degree of Masters in Management Studies (eLM) has no specific nomenclature in the list of several UGC (University Grants Commission) degrees.

Advocate Pratik Rupala while speaking on behalf of the petitioner added that the institute told the students both MMS and MBA degrees are on the same level and the value both these certificates hold is similar.

But he also mentioned the severe repercussions the students had to face on their end as they enrolled for MBA and also spent a hefty amount of money. 

The effect of this blunder on the students

To complete ePGP from IIM-A requires a good amount of funds to be invested for the completion of the degree. Not everybody could afford to spend so much on education, and there is a possibility that some of the students might have taken an education loan to complete the degree.

The average fees for studying ePGP from IIM-A is Rs. 20.5 lakhs and it would be an injustice upon the students if they are not awarded with the same degree, they had earlier been admitted for.

Not only this blunder highlighted the inadequate management of the institution but also impacted the careers of the students. 

One of the students who graduated from IIM-A, after successfully finishing the ePGP course, was recruited by the World Bank Group and was offered a good salary package.

Because of IIM- A’s prejudice against its students, Arjun Goyal had to face rejection from the World Bank Group as he did not possess a degree in MBA which was the basic eligibility criteria for recruitment.

There are in total 20 IIM’s (Indian Institute of Management) in India which provide 41 different Post Graduation courses through the mode of e-learning. The IIM-A’s decision to confer the MMS degree upon students who had enrolled for MBA shows the malfunctioning of such a highly reputed educational institution. 

Final Thoughts of the ePGP Students

These fresh postgraduates from IIM-A also mentioned that the faculty and the board of the institute constantly portrayed that the ePGP in MBA holds the same value as MMS.

The students were also promised that they would be awarded the MBA degree according to the Indian Institute of Management Act, 2017.

The petition further mentioned that 155 more students expressed their concern that they are not noticed by any online job portals as they do not possess an MBA degree.

The students mentioned IIM Raipur in their petition that the institute has conferred MBA degrees on their students who had enrolled for the same course. 

An interesting detail that the petition included is that the marksheets which the students received did not mention anywhere the name of the course they were enrolled for.

This mark sheet can easily be tagged as a fake scorecard and will not be considered as a genuine mark sheet.

The grade card without the name of the course cannot be presented for recruitment purposes as it will be termed as invalid without the missing course name.

The students have asked the IIM-A and Academic Council of University to confer upon them their respective MBA degrees and not MMS certificates. 

Many students and alumni were disappointed after this unethical mistake caused by IIM-A as it is the most renowned institutions in India. The committee and the board of IIM-A should rectify this mistake as soon as possible and should confer upon the students their respective degrees.

Apart from this mismanagement, IIM-A is the torch-bearer for many management institutions in India and delivers the best management graduates who have maximum potential.

The institution has the highest placement rating and also offers its students great salary packages. The further verdict would be passed by the Gujarat HC after the Diwali break. 

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