The Union Human Resource Development Ministry is set to release on Monday rankings of Indian educational institutions based on the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). Nearly 3,500 institutions took part in the exercise.
While the NIRF happens to be the first comprehensive framework to rank Indian institutions on the basis of a set of objective parameters, various other university ranking mechanisms have been in place.
The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), an autonomous body under the University Grants Commission, assesses and assigns a score to Indian higher education institutions.
Based on the cumulative grade point average obtained after assessment, institutes are assigned ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’ or ‘D’ grade.
“The issue with the NAAC is that it is based on the evaluation of a team visiting the institute. Though the grading scheme is objective, the team has a reasonable control on the score. Even a 10 per cent variation in the score can have a major effect as many universities have similar scores,” Dheeraj Sanghi, Dean of Academic Affairs and External Relations, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Delhi, told The Hindu .
Transparent processIn the past, institutes have questioned the credibility of international rankings as their data sources are not clear. The NIRF aims to make the process transparent.
Institutes were asked to submit their own data which was then verified by the National Bureau of Accreditation.
Under the NIRF, ranking parameters fall under five broad headings — teaching, learning and resources; research, consulting and collaborative performance; graduation outcomes; outreach and inclusivity; perception. The Ministry expects the ranking system to promote excellence in education in a competitive environment.
