I am writing this article with great grievance. This article is not at all meant to degrade the Institute, but to make the educators realize that their approach towards the education system at the Institute is detrimental for the current students.
I am an IoBM graduate and it really hurts me to see the Institute going down every year. I joined IoBM in the year 2002, during those years there were only two blocks (buildings). There was no Students Activity Centre, there was no Examination building, Mosque was half of its present area, there were no cameras installed, less security checks and a lot other things that didnt exist during those times. Contrary to this there were better teachers, students were more serious towards study, less cheating cases, ease of registration, etc.
For all the things that I have mentioned above, I will blame no one except the Board which includes Mr. Shah Jehan Karim, Mr. Talib Karim and Ms. Sabina Mohsin. It is because of their short-sighted vision they couldnt achieve horizon. They went upwards during their first years but couldnt sustain, then comes the downfall against the Institutes like Szabist, Iqra University, Muhammad Ali Jinnah University and Lahore School of Economics.
In my opinion, following are the reasons behind the downfall of the Institute.:
Commercial Mindedness:
An Institute can never be successful if the motive behind is to make. A good example is of The City School and now IoBM. The Board claims the IoBM business as Non-Profit Organization, but my friends Non-Profit Organization does not at all means that there is no profit. My accounting friends would agree to this point that when making Profit & Loss, Non-Profit Organizations use the term surplus instead of profit. The profit still exists and it is distributed among the owners. Believe it or not I saw tremendous change in the “family’s” attire, arrogance, protocol, approach and lastly their cars. How many of you would believe that Director Academics used to have a small car? It is justified to uplift and keep up your profile, but it is not at all justified to fill your pockets at the cost of students’ future.
Quality of Education:
Quality of education is a principle responsibility of any Institute. Quality does not comes from qualification, it comes from competence, dedication, passion and determination. The excellence in education cannot be achieved by hiring cheap teachers. Low cost teachers with none of the above qualitative variables will make the students Lakeer ka Fakeer, which is not the aim of any Institute. Invest in your teachers and groom them. Once the Dean of IoBM told his story of hiring a teacher: Dean called one of his known student for some economics course. After discussing the details of the course, Dean’s student asked how much will the Institute pay as salary? Dean with embarrassment quoted Rs. 40,000, the student smiled and said sorry Sir, I am earning much more than this. Dean concluded by saying that IoBM doesnt pay good at all and I have confirmed this with many teachers who used to and are currently teaching over there.
Out of Focus Approach:
I did my Intermediate from Commecs college in 2002. The college was famous for Commerce students as it was founded by old students of Government Commerce College (a reputable college of that time). Commecs was famous for its strictness and affiliation with Institute of Business Administration. One year after I passed out, they started diversifying, which I believe was the turning point. They started Engineering and Computer Sciences, something they were not holding any ability. The downfall came hurt the overall image of the College.
Same happened with IoBM. They started good with BBA and MBA, but as said above, when the money started to flow someone suggested to diversify. Need not to mention, the downfall started. If you are not focussed how can you be successful? Teachers of IoBM taught us by examples.
Criteria of a Good Institute:
If you ever get a chance to read the catalogue of IoBM you will see on what basis they claim their institute to be better than other Institutes. I have attended three convocations and in each convocation either Mr. Talib Karim or Mr. Shah Jehan Karim differentiated their Institute with land area, infrastructure, number of buildings, number of students, activity centre, etc.
This is not the criteria, criteria of a good Institute should be foreign affiliations, graduates working in the industry, published papers by the students and teachers, qualified faculty but nothing exist at IoBM now.
Conclusion:
Some of you people may not agree to what I have written about the Institute, but believe me whatever I have written above are just my feelings. I stayed at the Institute for 5 long years, I feel the sense of belonging. I have written to make them realize, not to humiliate someone. If by any means someone gets offended then I AM SORRY.
focus brother..thats what been lost in both cases.
CBM was a brand. now they have distorted it by putting in too many names..
the values gone..
however it still is one of the best amongst other institutes..
Yes it is better than few universities now, but it used to be better than many of the institutes for example Szabist and Iqra
InTeres.TinG…
You are so right! I am a CBM grad too and working in HR consultancy in recruitment.There is no value of our grads in the market.It really hurts when companies prefer other university grads over CBM grads.
@Rabia: The value is decreasing day by day and I personally feel that graduates of Szabist and Iqra are much better than CBM grads. I am not just saying this; my statement is backed by feedback from people in the working industry. Plus, one of the biggest disadvantage I see is we don’t have any thesis paper at the end of our degree which is a pre-requisite in all other Universities. I have given interviews where they specifically ask you what your thesis topic was. I have no answer to this question
I agree to the fact that CBM has become a money making machine rather than being a reputable educational platform. I also agree that the faculty has gone way down, all CBM graduates are allowed to come back and teach which is wrong. They lack the experience and exposure that is needed to become a teacher – a teacher doesnt mean read off a book and relay to the class and ask them questions pertaining to the book only. a teacher educates his/her class to in the true sense and takes the test of their knowledge on the subject, not merely on the chapters of the book.
what i dont agree with in your article is diversification. it is good to diversify! in UK, US, Canada there are many renown universities, offering a scope of programs and are doing pretty well. Eg; Oxford University has many programs with Said Business School specifically for Business Students. Similarly, Oxford has many other schools, School of Music, photography, filmography etc etc. working like seperate business units under one umbrella name i.e Oxford. You might even have heard about universities being very good for arts, science or business studies etc. eg; University of Western Ontario in London, Ottawa(Canada-yes there is a place called London in Canada) is considered to have the best ivy league school of the state.
So, yes diversify all you want, without hampering the quality of the produce, which in case of IoBM is being hampered a lot! Hopefully the directors and board of our beloved IoBM will pay heed to this article and do something positive!
@hA: Well said, but don’t you think we should diversify once we have expertise in one area? I agree that the Universities you have mentioned, all have separate schools within their umbrella name but they have expertise in few of them. For e.g Waterloo is good for Genetic Engineering and Science stuff but it is not a good Business School. I believe that if IoBM wants to diversify, they should do it gradually. It has been almost a decade and a half to IoBM and they offer initial academic schooling, Intermediate, A-Levels, BBA, BCS, BS Finance, BS Economics, MBA, MBA ACM, MBA Health Management, M-Phil and don’t know what not. I ask you, what quality would they be delivering?
I agree with you to some extent, but I personally feel that the institute can go for better teachers WHO are good at teaching, rather than the teachers who have got degrees but they dont know how to teach
!!!
CBM RULZ !!!
Well i don’t agree with all the statements. Keeping the fact in mind that the product speak it self in the market. Students are the product of CBM and we don’t care about learning while choosing the courses, the thing matter is grade. we judge teachers not by teaching methodology but by grades. i guess we need to change this mind beside this there is not competition of CBM with any other university except IBA and LUMS. Our marketing students are one of the finest in the market. Student can change the approaches of teachers.
CBM Rockz…
Naeem: If you are thinking that CBM has no competition with Universities like Szabist, Iqra, Biztek and MAJU then my friend you are avoiding your competition. Mindshare, one of the largest buying agecny of Pakistan just hired two fresh graduates, both from Zsabist. I did my internship at PSO, there was no single IoBM graduate. Other institutes are producing refined products unlike CBM.
And I am happy to see your thinking that students can change the approach of a teacher. But again, if you can hire someone with a different approach you dont need to put that load on students.
its disheartening and demotivating to agree but its about time we accept facts. cbm is plummeting and we are going to be effected by it
Hey naveed,
I hope i am not mistaking you. u were my senior back in comemcs, i passed out in 2003. i am really proud of you for writing this. many of us share the same feelings but lack the guts to say it on a forum like this. ….BUT U DID IT…..i wish n hope that the cause for which u wrote this, ….is achieved!! once again am proud of having a senior like u …GOD BLESS
I am sorry Khalid, but I could’nt recall you. Thanks a lot. God bless you too
I would say we that we should avoid picking up one-off cases of companies where cbm grads havnt made and other universities have made it. If we pick up one-off casesdden fact that CBM brand val than it is worthwhile mentioning here that out of 22 of MTs hired by MCB 11 were from CBM and 11 from other institues. Even if you compare CBM with Iqra and Szabist, it is no hidden fact that brand value and perception of CBM is better in minds of people despite all of the shortcomings of CBM. Though it may be of no value but it is worth mentioning CBM was ranked 2nd best school in Pakistan by eduniversal ratings. If ever SZABIST or LSE was given this rank I am pretty people would have been screaming abt good standards of zabist and lse but since this has gone to cbm all are quiet….
Hi everyone! I just wanted to put some light into this issue! I am a CBM grad and now studying at a Foreign University. When i came here to UK i realized that there was homework which had to be done, which i personally think should have been taught to me in CBM. Issues like Plagiarism are pretty common at CBM and i accept the fact that i have also done it and never knew how bad it was until i came here. This is probably the reason that students from IoBM can never get their research papers published because students tend to copy stuff from wikepedia rather than doing research by looking up Journal articles.However this issue has also made me change the perception of the teachers credibility at IoBM who accept copied stuff from students and give them marks on it. Moreover there is a certain criteria which should be established for giving admission to students. There have been so many incidents where students could not communicate with the teachers in english and because of this i wouldnt be surprised if employers dont hire them. In addition to this the institute should have a proper selection criteria and if they claim that they have a selection criteria, it should probably be revised.
These are only a few issues which i can think of at the moment.
Pretty Good Going Everyone
Little Strange &
InTeres.TinG…
i totally agree wid dis article infct recntly in dawn there was an article about mismanagement in cbm for fatima jinah dental colge admision test ..i think they should chnge there name to Institute of Mismanagement !
or all of you who r dissing CBM…. incase it was such a pathetic institute for u… y did u guys complete 4 years n then leave?…u no thats the problem with our nation… u keep dissing the country and still live here…. the same way….uv studied at CBM….and learned so much but ure still ungreatful…typical Pakistani mentality… thats wat id call it….
Every place has its flaws…theres
theres no Institute in the world thats perfect. Also, come to think of it….u guys are only making fools of urselves….if u dont respect ur identity no one respects u…anywhere in the world,…so quit being childish..and count ur blessings… there are people in this country who cant even afford to go to proper colleges, let alone acquire such good education….
its just sad…
Nida: Please note that this article is not at all meant to degrade the Institute. I have mentioned that in the first para of my article. What I really want the Board to do is to bring back old CBM. By saying this I mean where we could get better education and more refined product for the work industry.
No one is being ungrateful here, we all want the Institute to grow and to be the best in Pakistan. We just want our voice to go out there. You and they should realize that the future of more than 4,000 student is on stake. Greenwich was one of the best universities during its time, but due to one small mistake of the owner(s), the whole lot of students were affected.
Be calm, think neutrally.
Thanks
Well, there is nothing to do with the typical Pakistani mentality here..cuz ppl do accept that CBM has really lost its standard..we are concerned bcuz we possess a sense of belongingness with the Institute..there was a time when students had a high bargaining power on terms of salary when applying for a job..there was a time when CBM name was taken frequently by good multinationals for Recruitment Programs..if you say we all are dissing our Institute then can you give me one good reason why P&G simply stopped coming to CBM for their MT program? there was a market name..its not really that CBM has completely lost its name but there is no USP of CBM now..and most of us entered CBM in 2001-2005 when CBM had a name in the market..somebody would be a fool to leave the Institute after studying there for 2-3 years at the time of graduation almost..CBM today represents us, its our identity and that is the reason we wish that it regains its lost name..!
true. u have screwed up concepts!
In my view this blog has defamed the name of IoBM more, its on every facebook profile and everyone is talking negatively about the institute. I think IoBM has helped me and several other students in achieving their goals. In the 4 years tht iv spent at IoBM i have learnt alot, not only academicaly but otherwise. It taught me how to face different types of people,to be presentable, to accept challenges and most of all how to have a focused approach in life. The staff had always been supportive in every way. If it wasnt for what i gained from IoBM i wud not have been where i am now.
No Rafay, the Blog is not defaming the Institute it is helping to raise your voice. I hope no one here has intentions against CBM. We all love CBM, and when we see someone doing wrong we stop them.
You have no idea how much it hurts me to see present CBM, it should not have been here. It should have been at the top close to IBA. But its falling down and down and down. I just want the Management to open their eyes. Thats it.
Thanks
Mr. Naveed, let me take your own sayings and try to give my point of view on this issue on your sentence by sentence
…..No Rafay, the Blog is not defaming the Institute it is helping to raise your voice [My comments: There are far more better ways to raise your voice if you are really loyal to something,,,will you raise your voice in the same way if you were unhappy with some of your family issues n wanted them to sort out??? you could have directly talked to the higher ups which i have done few times too or you cud have taken a on campus poll from iobm students and forwarded it to iobm directors BUT u only defaming the name of your own institute here by calling names of people i.e. DEAN and mind you this is an open blog] . I hope no one here has intentions against CBM. We all love CBM, and when we see someone doing wrong we stop them. [MY COMMENTS: totally agree with this point of yours, if you see someone doing anythng wrong then in my view we have 2 options, either we walk up to that wrong doer personally and tell him that wat u doing is incorrect n show him the right path through your valid arguments or the 2nd option wud be that u see the wrong doer, and instead of walking up to that wrong doer you walk away and discuss this issue with your friends, and at other social networks like this blog/facebook/orkut and u chose the 2nd option because u dont have guts to talk and to really sort out the issues which u feel that u r really concerned about and then getting people attention is fulfiling your purpose]
This is just one last point i picked up from your last post, if i had time i cud hav written more but since im at work n took this 10 minute break coz someone from iobm shared this link and being an iobm grad i cudnt resist myself to go bak hom in evening n then share my views. and only coz of this discussion which took my 10 minutes, i will be sitting here in my office today for 10 extra minutes to compensate for it. I am proud to be an IOBM grad and feel pitty seeing you people calling yourself educated but lacking morals.
Thank you Zohaib for your comprehensive comment..I strongly feel that you still living in a fantasy world or a fols paradise I would say. Dont be to emotional and possessive about the Institute. First of all its not a family issue and no one discusses family. This is something that should be in front now. Its been more than 2 years that IoBM ranking has been falling down, IoBM has done simply NOTHING in this regard, If you think they have then discuss. One of the senior teacher told me back in 2006 that we have set-up a committee that will bring up the ranking of the Institute, its been 3 years now and I see no positive change. Institutes like LSE and Iqra are ahead of IoBM now, nobody even knew about these institutes 3-4 years back. Despite revised ratings by HEC IoBM was still rated lower than Iqra, Szabist and LSE. There was and has been no SIGNIFICANT contribution that IoBM has made uptil now, or may be they have been working on it but I see no results.
And bro good you talked about guts, I must tell you I talked about this issue with most of the teachers (both senior and junior) and I am sure they will not remeber it. I even talked to Ms. Sabina Mohsin when she invited me to give feedback for the Famous Consumer Behavior teacher. I tried approaching the Director Academics, but since he is most of the time occupied he never gave me time. Infact his P.A always asked “tumko kaam kia hai” and I always said I want to discuss something. And I think you need to have more guts to wrtie in an open blog rather than having guts of meeting the higher-ups.
We love CBM and since its our identity we want to do something better for it. The time i got admission in CBM it was considered as the 3rd best University of Pakistan. Its name was taken after IBA. I think its the time you should open your eyes, Revolution my friend Revolution.
And trust me, I had no idea that this word of blog will get this big and I had no purpose of getting attention. Its been 3 years I graduated from the Institute, what will I get out of getting their attention?
Thanks for writing in, do read other blogs too. And lets share that 10 minutes overtime you did yesterday.
Thanks again.
Shame on you Naveed Zuberi for starting this obnoxious blog.If I have ever taught you, then I regret I didn’t teach you a better attitude. You think washing dirty linen in public is a good idea? Why don’t you wash your personal linen as well. If you have any suggestions, it is your right as a CBM alumni to give them in writing to the management. I can assure you you will get attention and respect for caring. What you are doing is not the way. I advise you to apologize and dissolve this silly blog where people ink before they think. May Allah (swt)guide you to good deeds.Ameen
With all due respect Ma’am, I am not ashamed. Please read my comment above. On what basis you are giving me assurance? Had their been any seriousness in the minds of the Directors and Teachers, they would have taken preventive steps before.
And if you are objecting on me and asking me to wash my personal linen as well, then words of advice for you Ma’am. Dont watch any news channel from tomorrow, next time any Govt. organization hurts you do not raise your voice, next time you stuck in traffic stay calm and peaceful, next time you face problems in water drainage stay tolerant, next time bomb explodes sit back and relax, etc etc. Because you belong to this country and it is because of this country we exist and we are whatever we are because of this Nation. If you face any problem or issue, follow the procedure rather than discussing with your friends, relatives or colleagues.
And Ma’am if there is anything untruth I have written, please point it out.
Thanks.
I think you need to take active part in your country’s affairs and do more than just sermonize. Tell me about yourself. You are a part of the good old CBM as you put it, so what have you gained post graduation? Have you got your money’s worth? What knowledge have you utilized and to what end? How has it served you and others?
I do agree with faculty..CBM is like our home and to defame it publically is shaking its block…We all have some issues but why not to bring it in right manner rather allowing others to redicule us…
Dear Mr Naveed,
I am also a graduate of CBM and im studying elsewhere for my MBA.Its the same EVERYWHERE.Theplace im doing my mba from is supposed to be the best b school in Pakistan.Its the same if not worse off.I can easily say that my CBM experience was one of the finest academic ones ive had, and the marketing i have studied there was par excellence.I used to have the same feelings you have an year and a half ago but after studying elsewhere i believe it all boils down to BRAND IMAGE. You cannot build that by saying bullshit about your alma matter, and you cannot stop the karims from extending this brand into oblivion. What you can do is create a positive word of mouth, and not say nasty things about it. IBA has a brand image so strong that even if its graduates start dancing naked in corporate offices its image will still remain for sometime to come…and how did they build this image? Through their alumni which till today thrives on networking and lauding IBA and its 60 year old top management budha graduates filter out any young men from other unis aspiring to join their firms. Please make your life and the lives of the people around you easier by talking good things about your alma matter!
You must have heard about a huge MNC scene that took place lately. Havent you? Im on the same footsteps