Page 51 - EW 1-156 May 2024

air with the potential to check, if
not stop, the annual migration of an
estimated 8 lakh school and college-
leavers for higher education abroad.
Although poo-poohed by left aca-
demics accustomed to government
over-subsidisation of higher educa-
tion as “too commercial”, post-liber-
alisation private universities which
are more affordable than foreign
— especially western HEIs — are
attracting students in large numbers.
There’s increasing awareness that
they offer more organic education
at substantially lower tuition fees,
which even if high by the standards
of rock-bottom fees of public HEIs,
is more affordable because of the
belated availability of long-term
education loans.
Amity VC Dr. Balwinder Shukla (centre): pushing knowledge boundaries The league table of India’s most
preferred private multi-disciplinary
vision techies’ with little understand- output ratio); high unemployment, universities has been dominated
ing of wider development issues con- talent migration and widespread for the past four years by Amity
fronting the nation, and/or unem- poverty are closely connected with University, Noida (estb.2005), the
ployable arts, science and commerce poor quality education dispensed flagship varsity of the Amity Group
graduates with 40 percent ‘educated within the country’s colleges and which comprises 11 autonomous uni-
unemployed’ having been the norm universities. Therefore since 2013, versities in India and 11 abroad with
for half a century, if not more. EducationWorld has been publish- an aggregate enrolment of 200,000
Unsurprisingly again, India’s sole ing annual rankings of India’s best students. Although olde world
HEIs in the annual QS World Uni- — of a bad lot — undergrad colleges academics tend to attribute Amity,
versity Rankings 2024 are IIT-Bom- and universities. Noida’s popularity to its intensive
bay at #149 and IIT-Delhi #197. In The objective of the annual Edu- mass media, especially television
the Times Higher Education Rank- cationWorld India Higher Educa- ad campaigns, it’s noteworthy that
ings 2024, India’s highest ranked tion Rankings is not just to aid and none of them have challenged the
university is the Indian Institute enable school and college-leavers to data-based claims relating to its high
of Science, Bangalore (estb.1908) choose the most aptitudinally suit- ranking in international QS and THE
ranked in the 251-300 band. On the able college/university, but also to league tables.
other hand, five Chinese universities prompt institutional managements Evidently, the sample respondents
are ranked among the QS Top 100. to improve across a broad range interviewed for EWIHER 2024-25
Although this situation is accept- of parameters of higher education are impressed with this go-getting
able to the country’s head-in-sand, excellence. Even if academics within private university which has 37,000
ivory tower academics who have a the academy are content to remain students mentored by 2,100 fac-
ready list of Indian exceptionalism big fish in small ponds, this is not in ulty on its muster rolls. They have
— Indian universities are teaching the national interest. HEIs need to awarded this 20-year-old institution
rather than research institutions; improve their score under all param- top scores under the parameters
they have to practice reservations/ eters of higher education excellence of faculty competence, industry
affirmative action; tuition fees and benchmark themselves with the interface, placement and leadership,
contribute less than 5 percent of world’s most respected and admired and high scores under research and
expenditure — it’s not acceptable to higher education institutions. innovation, infrastructure and inter-
your editors. In these circumstances, India’s nationalism.
We believe that India’s low rates new genre multi-disciplinary private “The continuous recognition of
of annual economic growth, poor universities which ab initio have Amity, Noida as India’s #1 private
farm and factory productivity; benchmarked themselves with the multidisciplinary university is testa-
adverse ICOR (incremental capital world’s best, are a breath of fresh ment to the unrelenting effort of our

MAY 2024 EDUCATIONWORLD 51