The Hindu : National : MIT School, a launch pad for politicians

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Wednesday, Jan 02, 2008
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MIT School, a launch pad for politicians

Sujay Mehdudia

NEW DELHI: It is emerging as the first of kind institute in Asia to offer postgraduate professional course in social and political leadership and has been dubbed as the new destination for “educating the netas and babus” of the country.

The MIT School of Government (MITSOG) in Pune, established on the lines of the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, aims at empowering the Gen X to master the complexities of government running, giving them a new innovative direction to make a serious career out of politics, and at the same time approach the whole issue professionally. The former Chief Election Commissioner, T. N. Seshan is chairman of the institute that has a guest faculty ranging from senior BJP leader L.K. Advani to young Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

In the Capital to create an awareness about the new concept among the political class as well as the younger generation who are raring to take up politics, Rahul Vishwanath Karad, Dean of MITSOG, said the institute admitted any graduate below 35, including aspiring politicians, civil servants, NGOs and even sitting MPs and MLAs.

There is no university affiliation and no job guarantee. The one-year, three-semester residential Master’s Diploma in Government offered has core subjects such as the Constitution of India, the functioning of Parliament, relationships between various government organs, budget and finance, economy and communications (with special emphasis on public oratory) and management. “There is no entrance examination for this course that will serve as a launch pad for budding politicians,” he added.

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