XLRI Singapore unable to start Full Time course, applicants unsure of refund by Rachana Khanzode Last year, Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), Jamshedpur announced a Singapore campus featuring a full-time PGDBM course. A year lat…
XLRI Singapore unable to start Full Time course, applicants unsure of refund
by Rachana Khanzode
Last year, Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), Jamshedpur announced a Singapore campus featuring a full-time PGDBM course. A year later, the course is a nonstarter, while those who applied wait in agony for a refund of their application fees from an uncommunicative administration.
The Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM) course, publicized around the same time last year through extensive advertising and media PR was to inherit the syllabus as it is taught at XLRI Jamshedpur. While XLRI, Jamshedpur was to provide the intellectual capital, a Singapore-based agency named 'Image International (Singapore) Private Limited' was to manage the show and the campus in Singapore. The professors were to fly all the way from XLRI, Jamshedpur to the Singapore campus to teach. The school got nearly 400 applicants for the course of which 85 had already paid a non-refundable processing fee of S$50 (nearly Rs 1,500) each.
However today, XLRI, Singapore is quietly running only a Part Time PGDBM course with 15 hours of classroom teaching on weekends and projects and assignments rest of the week. The full-time course has failed to take off. The part-time degree is valid by AICTE norms only if one studies for three years.
What went wrong with the full-time course? When contacted Dr Rajashree Murthy, Director, Image International, XLRI Singapore said, "We couldn't get sufficient number of quality students and therefore we didn't start the course." Interestingly, XLRI, Jamshedpur is a strong brand in India and receives more than 70,000 applications for its PGDBM course. Dr Murthy refused to comment on the number of applications received for the Singapore course and said that 'everything was confidential within the Management'.
However, our sources had a different story to tell. An internal source on request of anonymity told PaGaLGuY that the institute had received around 400 applications out of which around 85 applicants had more than 90 percentile in the XAT or an equivalent score in GMAT or GRE and had paid the processing fees of S$50. The source informed that XLRI Jamshedpur had never agreed upon more than about 10 students for the full-time course, while Image International began to see potential for more. Eventually there was disagreement and both XLRI, Jamshedpur and Image International decided to call off the full-time PGDBM course in Singapore.
All this while, these students were kept in the dark about the status of the course for a month, adding to their agony and uncertainty. The applicants had been informed that telephonic selection interviews would take place between February 20 and 25, 2007. No interviews took place during that time.
Instead, around March 23, the Director Dr Rajshree Murthy started calling up the shortlisted students, asking them to consider the part-time course since they could not start the full-time course. Only 8 of these applicants took up the course.
So in effect, XLRI Singapore got about 85 people to pay S$50 each for a course that they never started! Although the processing fee was quoted non-refundable in the prospectus, there are questions on whether it ought to be refunded when the product advertised never saw the light of day.
The XLRI Singapore administration is tight-lipped about refunds, even as most students have resigned to ever seeing their money back.
Rachit Jain, a Research Associate with Capital IQ, who was among the 85 people who received a call about the part-time course says, "This issue had been like a thorn in my life." He further adds, "I made repeated attempts to get my money back from them but it was difficult because they were located far away in Singapore. I was trying hard to get a good job too as I had left a wonderful job earlier thinking of making into a b-school this year. Moreover, they (XLRI, Singapore) did not even send an official mail to notify and explain that the full-time course will not be conducted this year."
It doesn't end here. The part-time course that XLRI Singapore eventually started too is not fully in place. The current batch comprises of 27 students out of which 8 are from India and the remaining 19 are NRIs based in Singapore. Students are required to attend 15 contact hours on the weekend while they do projects and assignments on weekdays. Despite the fact that this is a weekend-MBA format, it interestingly manages to satisfy the norms of Ministry of Education, Singapore to be called a Full Time degree after two years. However for an AICTE recognition and validity in India, the course needs to run for a total of three years. That puts the students in a precarious position, since they'll have to show placements in Singapore after two years, while showing AICTE that the course in fact ran for three years!
When contacted, XLRI Jamshedpur Director Father Casimir Raj completely denied the fact that XLRI, Jamshedpur had ever publicized a Full Time course and said, "I don't know all that because only a Part Time course is running at XLRI, Singapore."
Asked if XLRI, Singapore would try to start a Full Time PGDBM course again this year, he said, "We are planning for another Singapore campus and it is too late to say if it will happen in 2008. It will take time because land is a problem."
by Rachana Khanzode
Last year, Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), Jamshedpur announced a Singapore campus featuring a full-time PGDBM course. A year later, the course is a nonstarter, while those who applied wait in agony for a refund of their application fees from an uncommunicative administration.
The Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM) course, publicized around the same time last year through extensive advertising and media PR was to inherit the syllabus as it is taught at XLRI Jamshedpur. While XLRI, Jamshedpur was to provide the intellectual capital, a Singapore-based agency named 'Image International (Singapore) Private Limited' was to manage the show and the campus in Singapore. The professors were to fly all the way from XLRI, Jamshedpur to the Singapore campus to teach. The school got nearly 400 applicants for the course of which 85 had already paid a non-refundable processing fee of S$50 (nearly Rs 1,500) each.
However today, XLRI, Singapore is quietly running only a Part Time PGDBM course with 15 hours of classroom teaching on weekends and projects and assignments rest of the week. The full-time course has failed to take off. The part-time degree is valid by AICTE norms only if one studies for three years.
What went wrong with the full-time course? When contacted Dr Rajashree Murthy, Director, Image International, XLRI Singapore said, "We couldn't get sufficient number of quality students and therefore we didn't start the course." Interestingly, XLRI, Jamshedpur is a strong brand in India and receives more than 70,000 applications for its PGDBM course. Dr Murthy refused to comment on the number of applications received for the Singapore course and said that 'everything was confidential within the Management'.
However, our sources had a different story to tell. An internal source on request of anonymity told PaGaLGuY that the institute had received around 400 applications out of which around 85 applicants had more than 90 percentile in the XAT or an equivalent score in GMAT or GRE and had paid the processing fees of S$50. The source informed that XLRI Jamshedpur had never agreed upon more than about 10 students for the full-time course, while Image International began to see potential for more. Eventually there was disagreement and both XLRI, Jamshedpur and Image International decided to call off the full-time PGDBM course in Singapore.
All this while, these students were kept in the dark about the status of the course for a month, adding to their agony and uncertainty. The applicants had been informed that telephonic selection interviews would take place between February 20 and 25, 2007. No interviews took place during that time.
Instead, around March 23, the Director Dr Rajshree Murthy started calling up the shortlisted students, asking them to consider the part-time course since they could not start the full-time course. Only 8 of these applicants took up the course.
So in effect, XLRI Singapore got about 85 people to pay S$50 each for a course that they never started! Although the processing fee was quoted non-refundable in the prospectus, there are questions on whether it ought to be refunded when the product advertised never saw the light of day.
The XLRI Singapore administration is tight-lipped about refunds, even as most students have resigned to ever seeing their money back.
Rachit Jain, a Research Associate with Capital IQ, who was among the 85 people who received a call about the part-time course says, "This issue had been like a thorn in my life." He further adds, "I made repeated attempts to get my money back from them but it was difficult because they were located far away in Singapore. I was trying hard to get a good job too as I had left a wonderful job earlier thinking of making into a b-school this year. Moreover, they (XLRI, Singapore) did not even send an official mail to notify and explain that the full-time course will not be conducted this year."
It doesn't end here. The part-time course that XLRI Singapore eventually started too is not fully in place. The current batch comprises of 27 students out of which 8 are from India and the remaining 19 are NRIs based in Singapore. Students are required to attend 15 contact hours on the weekend while they do projects and assignments on weekdays. Despite the fact that this is a weekend-MBA format, it interestingly manages to satisfy the norms of Ministry of Education, Singapore to be called a Full Time degree after two years. However for an AICTE recognition and validity in India, the course needs to run for a total of three years. That puts the students in a precarious position, since they'll have to show placements in Singapore after two years, while showing AICTE that the course in fact ran for three years!
When contacted, XLRI Jamshedpur Director Father Casimir Raj completely denied the fact that XLRI, Jamshedpur had ever publicized a Full Time course and said, "I don't know all that because only a Part Time course is running at XLRI, Singapore."
Asked if XLRI, Singapore would try to start a Full Time PGDBM course again this year, he said, "We are planning for another Singapore campus and it is too late to say if it will happen in 2008. It will take time because land is a problem."
These things has always been a matter of words, the words in the application seems like a full time course but the authorities deny the fact. The thread had the rumour of cancelling the fulltime cource, but an official communication was never done, atleast they should called for the interview if (as caccording to them) the full time course was never there.
rachitjain_18 SaysThese things has always been a matter of words, the words in the application seems like a full time course but the authorities deny the fact. The thread had the rumour of cancelling the fulltime cource, but an official communication was never done, atleast they should called for the interview if (as caccording to them) the full time course was never there.
Their course coordinator sent emails to applicants explicitly saying it was a fulltime course. He also said that on PG forums where he was registered with his official email ID.
Cheers,
Their course coordinator sent emails to applicants explicitly saying it was a fulltime course. He also said that on PG forums where he was registered with his official email ID.
Cheers,
If some unheard of private institute had done this it would have been understandable and wuldnt hurt that much .... but man XLRI .... thats a dream insti for most of us.... and the whole goof-up to cover it up.... where's the accountability and morals they teach their students
The issue is not just limited to XLRI...there might be many more in the loop but who knows about them. Its like you are a thief if you are caught, else whats wrong until the business is running. XLRI might have never thought that such a thing can actually ruin their image and therefore they have taken students very lightly since they are located far off. Ultimately, a student won't travel all the way to singapore to get his 1500 bugs.
Their course coordinator sent emails to applicants explicitly saying it was a fulltime course. He also said that on PG forums where he was registered with his official email ID.
Cheers,
That means it's a completely misleading statement made. As article pointed out they got the full time recognition as per ministry of Singapore, it's illegal to publicize in India as per Indian norms.
Well Thaneer told me on phone it's a full time course, only the rumours in the forum pointed things out.
krachana SaysThe issue is not just limited to XLRI...there might be many more in the loop but who knows about them. Its like you are a thief if you are caught, else whats wrong until the business is running. XLRI might have never thought that such a thing can actually ruin their image and therefore they have taken students very lightly since they are located far off. Ultimately, a student won't travel all the way to singapore to get his 1500 bugs
interestingly, they didn't mention about the course preference in their application forms and wrote Foreign Student instead of Full time in the Fee details.
Good to see this story come up...
Indian B-schools have been taking the applicants for granted for quite some time now. Its like a free-for-all with nobody to keep a check. Collecting fees for a course which never took off.. How much more worse can things get? Only comparable to overnight make rich schemes where a company surfaces for a week or so, collects money from unsuspecting individuals and vanishes into thin air 
Isn't this comparable to or even worse than I I P M?
Hope we have a story following this one 😃
An interesting article.. what is yur take abt S P J CM at singapore.. can some one clarify.... i am having my interview on 14th.. i know this is not the right thread to ask this query but some one clarify...
Thats rite! XLRI being a dream institution for most of the students it has become dismaying news... there should be some diff b/w the business and providing good schooling.. it doesnt lead things anywhere!!
i am not commenting on this particular story as i dont know the entire episode..
i just want to appeal to the prospective mba junta not to make an impression about a school by individual instances. their might be a lot of things that we people might not be aware of. yes do take a note of such instances and try and see whats the real issue but just dont judge the worth of a insti by individual instances like this one...
Ankit
i am not commenting on this particular story as i dont know the entire episode..
i just want to appeal to the prospective mba junta not to make an impression about a school by individual instances. their might be a lot of things that we people might not be aware of. yes do take a note of such instances and try and see whats the real issue but just dont judge the worth of a insti by individual instances like this one...
Ankit
exceptions or bizarre, call it whateva u want but the fact is that it happened. Atleast they shud have given the money as a goodwill gesture. All u B School ppl are good in playing with words and I don't want to get into that. We are not judging, commenting or mudslinging institutes, it's just a true story that is needed to be told as students will be aware for the next time.
No hard feelings Ankit, it's just that I feel unfortunate. And ya it's not an individual instance it happened with 85 other ppl.
Thanx a lot to Pagalguy community and rachana 
. XLRI has refunded the money back, with regret letter.
Thanx a lot to XLRI Singapore too, no hard feelings now.
Thanx a lot to Pagalguy community and rachana. XLRI has refunded the money back, with regret letter.
Thanx a lot to XLRI Singapore too, no hard feelings now.
Awesome news
Hardly comes as a surprise though 😉 Maine to pehle hi bola tha :p
Hope we have a story following this one :)
Cheers!!
Awesome news
Cheers!!
Definitely, U guys Rock 😃