New Delhi: Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M), Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru and IIT-Delhi have been adjudged the nation’s top three institutions in the Modi government’s ranking of higher education institutions announced Thursday.
According to the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2020, these are the best institutions in the ‘Overall’ category, which is one of nine ranking classifications — ‘Overall’, ‘University’, ‘Engineering’, ‘College’, ‘Management’, ‘Pharmacy’, ‘Law’, ‘Architecture’ and ‘Medical’.
IIT-Bombay, which is often ranked the best among Indian institutes in global excellence lists such as those of the Times Higher Education and QS, doesn’t make it to the top three.
NIRF 2020 is the fifth edition of the rankings, which were instituted in 2015 by the then Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani. They were announced through a video conference in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the ‘University’ category, IISc Bengaluru, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Banaras Hindu University (BHU) have been ranked the top three. The best colleges in the country are Miranda House, Lady Shri Ram College and Hindu College — all three form a part of Delhi University.
Among other categories, the IIT branches at Madras, Delhi and Bombay have been ranked the top three, in that order, in ‘Engineering’, and the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) at Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Calcutta in ‘Management’.
The top three ‘Medical’ institutes are the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Chandigarh, and Christian Medical College Vellore.
Also Read: IIT, IISc global rankings fall: How can India attract foreign students, faculty to improve?
The parameters
NIRF 2020 was announced a day after top Indian institutions like IITs and IISc registered a decline in position in the QS World Ranking. They had fared similarly in the Times Asia rankings, released last week.
Under the NIRF, the institutions have been ranked on the basis of various parameters that carry different weightage. They are teaching and learning, research, graduation outcomes, outreach and peer perception. Peer perception accounts for 10 per cent of the total, which is very less as compared to international rankings like QS.
“We give only 10 per cent weightage to perception because it can be influenced by various factors,” said additional secretary MHRD Rakesh Ranjan in an address during the release of the rankings.
“The NIRF gives the least weightage to perception as compared to other rankings, we give more weightage to other important factors,”
HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ also came down heavily on international rankings, saying they lay too much emphasis on perception.
“Times and QS ranking downgrade our institutions on the basis of perception, I do not agree with that. Our institutions are doing a lot of good research, we cannot be judged only on the basis of perception,” the minister said.
The Modi government lays a lot of emphasis on NIRF rankings, and it dictates their decision on granting autonomy to institutions. From this year, the University Grants Commission (UGC) is also going to allow the top 100 NIRF institutions to work on their own digital education initiatives.
This report has been updated to correct the location of Christian Medical College to Vellore
Also Read: IIT Bombay & Delhi break into top 50 engineering colleges in QS World Rankings by Subject
This article is so vague! You guys had to just make a piece for the sake of the trend/news
Sad.
Shame on you on your anti Modi journalism. Linking everything to Modi. Very low level of journalism
What a shame on The Print to politicize everything and pointing it to Modi. Its a ranking made by government officials. Thats all. Why the hell you are bringing Modi in to it. Very low level of journalism. Shame on you.
What “perception” do they use? Thats nonsense, they have defined criteria. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/world-university-rankings-2020-methodology