Online to Offline: These Colleges Plan a Switch in Class Mode

Several MBA colleges had started reopening after a sudden drop in COVID-19 cases after August 2021. However, the Omicron scare has led to a change in plans to switch. These colleges had started physical classes.

With the spike in COVID-19 cases, the third wave of the pandemic has arrived in India. After the second wave, colleges had started reopening for offline classes. Some colleges had also scheduled to open in January and February. Colleges that started reopening last year have been closed again for the online classes. There are more than 5,000 MBA colleges in India. Reopening MBA colleges for physical lectures can become scary looking at the pandemic situation. States including Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, West Bengal, Goa, Karnataka, among others have announced the closure of schools and colleges amid the third wave of COVID-19.

Earlier, MBA colleges in India including IIM Indore, University of Kashmir, REVA Business School, Presidency University, among others had started the offline classes. This article hosts the colleges that started offline classes after a drop in COVID-19 cases.

Also Read: Online Education (Boon or Bane)

Top MBA Colleges that Planned Physical Classes

Some of the colleges started offline classes with full capacity. These colleges started calling students for the physical classes from July when the COVID-19 chart saw a downtrend. However, many of these colleges have now planned to get back to online classes:

Kirsan Mission Institute of Management

Kirsan Mission Institute of Management is situated in Maharashtra. The state saw the peak of COVID-19 second wave on April 24 with 67,170 new cases in a single day. Post this date, the COVID-19 cases witnessed a downfall in the new cases. With 500+ 7-day average new cases, most of the MBA colleges in Maharashtra including KMIM has been reopened for offline classes. Lately, around 40,000 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in Maharashtra. Therefore many colleges have been reconsidering the college reopening amid COVID-19. 

Dr Ambedkar Institute of Management Studies and Research

Dr Ambedkar Institute of Management Studies and Research (DAIMSR) is situated in Nagpur. The district in Maharashtra, Nagpur, had a positivity rate of 0.37 per cent. Therefore, the reopening of MBA colleges in Nagpur was considered safe. However, Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government, on Thursday, has decided to switch back to online classes.  

Indian Institute of Management Indore

IIM Indore, situated in Madhya Pradesh, has resumed MBA classes with the dip in COVID-19 cases in Madhya Pradesh. The state had recorded a total of 13,417 new cases on April 27, which was decreased to less than 30 new cases (first week of December). With the start of the third COVID-19 wave, the Madhya Pradesh government has deferred its decision of reopening schools and colleges. In the first week of January, the state has started recording more than 1,000 fresh COVID-19 cases. Physical classes might lead to a halt in a long run.

IIM Indore is one of the top MBA colleges in Madhya Pradesh; the reopening of the top-ranked MBA colleges in India bought in a change for other colleges to reopen for offline classes. IIM Indore courses include:

• Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP)
• Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management (EPGP)
• Fellow Programme in Management (FPM)
• Post Graduate Programme in Human Resource Management (PGP-HRM)
• Post Graduate Programme in Management for Working Executives (PGPMX) in Mumbai
• Executive Fellow Programme in Management (EFPM)
• Five Year Integrated Programme in Management (IPM)

Also Read: IIM Indore Admission

REVA University

REVA University, located in Bangalore, is one of the premier universities offering multiple courses including MBA, B.Com, BBA, B.Tech, etc. Karnataka recorded as many as 47,930 new COVID-19 cases on May 9, 2021. With the decrease in cases to less than 1,000 new cases a day in December 2021 coming to 5,000+ new cases in January 2022, the reopening of MBA colleges in Karnataka can lead to a major set-back.

Also Read: REVA University Admission

Presidency Group of Institutions

The Presidency Group of Institutions had called MBA students to attend offline classes. The group of institutes include Presidency College and Presidency University. Bengaluru is the capital city of Karnataka that has been contributing the maximum COVID-19 cases since the virus came into the state. The reopening of colleges in Karnataka might lead to a steady spike in the new cases. Therefore, the Karnataka government has decided to shut schools and colleges.

Also Read: MBA Colleges in Bangalore

Alliance University

Alliance University has started its offline classes in colleges situated in Bangalore. In spite of the COVID-19 pandemic far from over, the colleges called students to attend classes. However, most of the MBA students might have taken at least a single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. This can be estimated as with an approximate population of 6.84 crores, more than 4.5 crore people have been vaccinated with a single dose as per the data shared by the Government. Yet the Omicron variant is being considered a hazard even if one has taken both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Reopening of colleges, in spite of the Omicron rise, can be alarming in the future. Thus, maximum colleges in the state are being shut and have been conducting online classes. 

Also Read: Alliance University Admission

TA Pai Management Institute (TAPMI)

T.A. Pai Management Institute is situated in Manipal, Karnataka. Following other top MBA colleges in Karnataka, TAPMI had also opened the gates for the students for offline classes earlier. Although the online classes were still in action, the administration found the online mode of education less productive. But, aiming for productivity amid the rise in COVID-19 cases could have been a bad decision.

Also Read: TAPMI Admission

ISBR Group

ISBR Business School is located in Bangalore and Chennai. All the colleges under the ISBR group had started offline classes. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka were within the top five states of India with the most COVID-19 cases. Karnataka had around 900 daily new cases in the first week of December 2021, while Tamil Nadu recorded around 1,500 daily new COVID-19 cases in the same period. New COVID-19 cases in Karnataka has been increased to 5,000+, whereas, Tamil Nadu is encountering nearly 7,000 cases in the first week of January.

Also Read: MBA Colleges in Tamil Nadu

Amrita School of Business

Amrita School of Business, affiliated with Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, is situated in Coimbatore. Lately, Tamil Nadu has been contributing largely to the new COVID-19 cases in India. Besides the number of cases in the state, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has a base of 20,250+ students. Going completely offline with a large student base is risky during these unprecedented times.

Also Read: Amrita School of Business Admission

Galgotias Educational Institutions

Galgotias Educational Institutions (GEI), also known as Galgotias University, is situated in Greater Noida. GEI has three institutes as mentioned below:

• Galgotias Institute of Management and Technology (GIMT)
• Galgotias College of Pharmacy (GCP)
• Galgotias College of Engineering and Technology (GCET)

All the three institutes under GEI were reopened for offline classes. However, Government colleges in Delhi-NCR were yet to start physical classes and are waiting for orders from the Government. Before there could have been a complete reopening of colleges, the third wave has arrived; Delhi recorded more than 15,000 new COVID-19 cases in the first week of January.

Also Read: offline classes suspended until further orders amid severe air pollution: Delhi DoE

Other MBA Colleges Reopened for Offline Classes

Besides the above-mentioned colleges, other MBA colleges that planned to resume the offline classes were as follows:

1. Shri Sant Gajanan Maharaj College of Engineering, Shegaon
2. AIMS IBS, Bangalore
3. Krupanidhi School of Management, Bangalore
4. International School of Management Excellence
5. RV Institute of Management Studies
6. St. Joseph's Institute of Management
7. Karnataka College of Management
8. Global Institute of Business Studies
9. NTPC School of Business (NSB)
10. Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Institute for Management Development (SDMIMD)
11. IFIM College
12. Vijay Bhoomi University (VBU)
13. Rajagiri Centre of Business Studies
14. Kochi Business School
15. Rajadhani Business School
16. Saintgits Institute of Management
17. Rathinam College of Arts and Science
18. G H Raisoni Institute of Engineering and Technology
19. RVR and JC College, Guntur
20. Graphic Era University
21. The Mandvi Institute of Business Management and Computer Studies
22. Goa Institute of Management
23. Shree Chimanbhai Patel Institute of Management and Research
24. University of Kashmir
25. RIIM, Pune

Most of the state governments have announced the closure of educational institutes amid the third wave scare. However, many private universities had resumed the physical lectures. After the orders from the government, the schools and colleges that reopened have been closed. The reopening of MBA colleges took a backfoot before things could have gone back to normal. 

The shift to offline classes came after several students had reported problems caused due to the online class delivery mode. Some of the issues include concerns over a similar fee structure even after the classes were being held online. Another reason that raised concerns among students was offline exams after the online classes. Some students also reported internet issues during the online classes.

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