Detailed Interview About MERI institute by Prof. Lalit Aggarwal :

Q1: Tell us something about MERI group of Institutions?

Ans: MERI group of Institutions is promoted by a Non-profit organization named ‘Triveni Education & Social Welfare society ’ . This society runs various institutions to provide quality Education from Kindergarten level to post graduate level primarily in professional courses. The society provides education through various institutions like , Rama Krishna Sr. Secondary school, Rama Krishna Teacher’s training Institute, Management Education & Research Institute offering PGDM and MBA & MCA courses and is affiliated to IP university and MERI college Of Engineering & Technology , Bahadurgarh Haryana, offering BBA and Engineering courses in various fields and is affiliated to MDU. It is also coming up with a new law college. The institutions are highly ranked not only in Delhi and NCR but internationally too. It has 25 international collaborations with universities all around the world running from Korea and china in the east to France and Germany in Europe and Canada in the west. Each year many international students study n the colleges run by the society.

Q2: What is the impact of opening private universities in India? Your views on private universities and the education provided by them.

Ans: Education in India is in charitable domain.Although the advent of private universities in India should provide quality education to students but care should be taken that they do not become degree giving shops. Strict control is needed in their functioning as we here a lot of malpractices in some universities. Not only this, the rapid speed at which the economic & Technological scenario is changing globally, these universities have to design their curriculum in such a way that the students get academic as well as practical knowledge of their chosen fields. I feel that these universities should degree issuing institutions to more  more of project/practical based where skill based deliverables are a priority. It should be more  ‘learning by doing.

Q3: What are the new innovations in the subjects of Management.

Ans: Management Education has changed drastically over the years. About 10-15 years ago the focus of Management Education was on equipping student managers with the abilities to find ways and means of increasing productivity and profits of the organizations. But now the focus is to inculcate KSAs (Knowledge, Skills & attitudes/Aptitude/ability) since each Industrial sector requires different set of KSAs, the role of a management institute has become very crucial. They have to not only provide education to cover the syllabus but also equip there students with enhanced personality and skills to get ready for jobs in this technologically advanced and Knowledge based corporate world. I personally believe  that Constant innovations in the field of management education , content as well as delivery is the need of the hour.

Q4: How have you innovated Management Education at your college, MERI?

Ans: Although we have brought in many, minor to major innovations in our management teaching but I would like to highlight a few over here because of the restriction of time and space.

• We develop our student managers in a way that they should first have a ‘Humane approach ’. To achieve this objective we have developed a sense of ‘Globally responsible citizenship ’ in them. They are made to understand the importance of developing sensitivity towards others and society as a whole.
• Apart from classroom teaching each student of MERI is a member of one or the other club like: CSR club, Cultural Club, Sports club & Theater club. These clubs organize various activities on weekly basis. Students not only enjoy these activities but also develop important management skills such as : Team spirit, Interpersonal skills, leadership skills, initiative taking abilities, responsibility & accountability, effective presentation & communication skills, all of which are the pre-requisites of quality management education.
• Our class room teaching is also highly innovative, instead of focusing purely on lecture method, our faculties use Nominal Group techniques (NGTs) to carry out case analysis on subject related topics, subjects such as HR and marketing are taught with the help of Role plays and simulation techniques. The faculty here is more like a facilitator and mentor to the students.
• To develop the entrepreneurial spirit in the students we have a special e-cell wherein students are given ample opportunities to show case their business talents and abilities. Students with potential as future entrepreneurs, are given suitable guidance in establishing their business ventures after they complete their education.
• ‘If Knowledge is power than technology is the key to success ’. We at MERI strongly believe that no innovation is complete with out technological innovation. We promote our students to develop out of box thinking and foster an environment of continuous innovation across all departments in our organization.
• In order to develop sector specific skills in our students we have designed specialized curriculum that caters to the needs of these sectors. Subject Papers like Banking & Insurance , Retail Marketing, service marketing etc. Have been included in PGDM program.
• A true Innovation requires ‘change management ’. We have brought significant changes in our approach towards teaching. We promote our faculties to pursue continuous research in their chosen fields and we foster an environment of ‘Open Learning culture ’ at our college.

Q5: Does MERI provides opportunities for International studies to its students?

Ans: Yes we believe in giving holistic management education to our students and for this we about 25 tie ups with various universities in countries like USA, France, China & Germany, We have MOUs with :

• E’cole De Management Normandy
• University of Coventry, UK
• University of France
• Dauphine HAU
• Germany, D’Youville College, New York and many more.

I am happy to inform that MERI is the only college in Delhi and in north of India with the maximum no of international collaborations.

Q6: What has been the experience of the students who have availed the facility under student exchange program?

Ans: The experience of the students has been overwhelming. The students not only got the exposure of education system abroad but also explored the culture & society of the different countries which they visited. Similarly students from other countries came to our campus and explored the culture of India. They were pleased with the our teaching methodology and also went to various historic and religious places across our country. In last semester we had a few students from France who are now well placed in their respective jobs but are still in touch with us.

Q7: What has been the placement track record of MERI in last 20 years?

Ans: MERI boosts off a 100% placement record over these years. Our students have been well placed in various prestigious organizations across almost all the sectors, be it IT, FMCG, Service, hospitality, retail etc. Some of the organizations where our students have been placed in the last few years are: IBM, TCS, Toluna, Accenture, ICICI securities, Wipro, Nyasa Retail, to name a few. The placement cell also provides extension services to students even after they pass out. In fact we believe in an eternal relationship with the student.

Q8: What are the USP s / UVPs of your institution?

Ans: MERI is an organization that is strongly dedicated to the cause of imparting quality education to future management professionals. The organization follows an ‘open door policy ’ where feedback and suggestions are welcome from anyone or anywhere, whether directly or indirectly associated with us. Our faculty members are not only teachers but also play the role of a friend, philosopher or guide. Recently we have incorporated a new Mentor-Menttee program wherein each faculty is allocated a group of 20 students who get associated with the concerned faculty right from the day they join the institute till the time they leave the college and often even after they leave, they still remain in touch with us. Every year we organize an Alumni meet wherein we invite, appreciate and recognize our students who have brought us laurels with their academic and professional growth and achievements.

Q9: What steps should be taken to improve the quality of Management Education in India?

Ans: The scenario of management education in India has changed drastically after the era of digitization & globalization. Although I feel that we in India have developed a lot in terms of imparting Knowledge based and technological skills among budding managers but still a lot more needs to be done in terms of developing strong analytical and conceptual skills among the students who wish to pursue their career in the field of management.

To ask queries, kindly  Management Education and Research Institute (MERI) Admission 2019-21

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