To the list of 1,500 plus B-schools imparting management education in India, add the name of the United World School of Business (UWSB), promoted by Ahmedabad-based Uniworld Edutech Ltd. A heavyweight entrant into B-school education, UWSB is all set to simultaneously admit its first batches of 120 students (two-year MBA programme) and 60 students (12 month programme) into its campuses in Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Kolkata.
According to Ritesh Hada, an alumnus of Calcutta University, Leicester Business School and De Montfort University, UK, by 2011, UWSB will establish a residential B-school in Delhi which will be followed by others in Hyderabad, Bhubneshwar, and Singapore. “There is a plethora of excellent institutions providing quality education in the field of business management. But the cost of education in these institutes is significantly high and their curriculums tend to be theoretical, with inadequate industry interaction. In my opinion two high-potential growth areas have been neglected by India’s B-schools — South-east Asia and rural India. We intend to address these lacunae. This will give UWSB a unique positioning,” says Hada.
Affiliated with Punjab Technical University for its Ph D programme, UWSB has also initiated negotiations with several foreign universities for certification and exchange programmes. “Admission into UWSB will be on the basis of CAT, XAT and GMAT scores. A certificate of postgraduation in management, equivalent to an MBA, will be awarded to students on the completion of the study programme,” says Hada.
A business entrepreneur (United Polyfab Pvt. Limited, Karnavati Realties Ltd, Omega Realty Ltd.), in 2003 Hada switched tracks to enter the education sector by promoting the Ahmedabad (Gujarat)-based Karnavati School of Dentistry (affiliated to the US-based Boston and Tufts universities). Subsequently in 2006 he promoted and established the IGCSE and IBO affiliated Singapore International School (SIS) in Mumbai under the aegis of the United Educare Foundation. Currently SIS is a upscale K-12 school with an aggregate enrolment of 250 students, supported by the Singapore Teachers Union and ministry of education, government of Singapore.
Besides an affordable tuition fee structure, UWSB has reduced the gestation period for a graduate student, to prepare him for the real world by creating a unique three-tier zonal, national and international level placement system. “Led by Shim Young-Sup, former CEO of LG Life Sciences and LG Chemicals, UWSB intends to maintain a dedicated corporate team to foster close linkages between the B-school and industry. Sub-teams will explore zonal, national and international job options with facilitating offices in London, Singapore and Dubai by 2009 year-end,” says Hada.
Determined to rescue the ‘sick child’ of Indian education, Hada believes that a collective effort can transform the system. “If people think beyond making profit, the situation in the educational sector can be turned around very quickly,” advises this knowledgeable edupreneur.
Wind in your sails!
Autar Nehru (Delhi)