CA IR Shetty

Chairman, Bunts Sangha’s Higher Education Committee

In the midst of adversity, there is great opportunity – Albert Einstien.

Greetings,

It is my privilege to address you as the Chairman of the Higher Education Committee of this prestigious Institution -Bunts Sangha, Mumbai. We are a socio-economic trust dedicated to the service of the society ,since nine decades ,growing in strength and commitment every passing year.

Our Higher Education Institutions at Kurla is in par with the best in the education sector and our newly refurbished campus is astounding to say the least, meeting all the criteria of a world class educational campus.

Currently, Covid-19 has disrupted the world as never before, including the way formal management education is imparted. In India, with prolonged nationwide lockdown and recent increase in coronavirus cases, the impact has been devastating,but International organizations and leading consulting firms are of the view that the Indian economy will bounce back rapidly and see a quick turnaround in the coming years as compared to many other countries .

Of course there is no doubt that the pandemic has caused sluggishness in the overall economy resulting in huge job losses, salary cuts and losing potential employment in most sectors. During these times many organisations have deferred absorbing B-School pass-outs and some have revoked the offer .Several B-Schools had to re-design courses, evaluation parameters as well as admission processes. Teaching /learning have been happening online and institutions have conducted online exams.

There is no doubt that the current couple of batches will face strong headwinds. I’m reminded of a quote, ‘When you cant change the direction of the wind, adjust your sails’

We at UKS have geared up to face this challenge as only B-Schools that will leverage technology and have dynamic leadership to build an eco-system of virtual learning, teaching, evaluation and community-building will be less impacted. We are working towards this and will leave no stone unturned to achieve this.

‘Digital India ‘ has always been the mission of the present Government. This pandemic has left us with no choice, other than going digital. So it has been a blessing in disguise for our country.

Hence, I think that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the current MBA batches to add diversity to their skill sets, which will also help them in the long run. The Indian government is going all out to accelerate the economic growth and make up for the lost time.So job opportunities will boom again wherein the role of MBAs will be pivotal. Covid-19 has pushed MBA education towards an all-digital world, with a possibility of new opportunities through “work-from-anywhere” in the post-Covid era. This opens up arenas never thought of before the pandemic.

I think by the time the next batch comes on-board, most of the effects of this pandemic would have been mitigated, and both the country, as well as the world economy, would be coming back in shape. In that scenario, normalcy regarding placements will not only be witnessed but there are going to be better hiring prospects.

Time to strike the iron when it is hot. I wish you all the best!