Page 49 - EducationWorld May 2022

categories is rational because it makes
it easier for school-leaving and gradu-
ate students — the consumer — to se-
lect the higher education institution
that suits them best. I also appreciate
that while our engineering school isn’t
top-ranked by EducationWorld, we
have been ranked the #1 engineering
and technology-focused university.
The National Education Policy 2020
recommends that all higher education
institutions should gradually trans-
form into multidisciplinary universi-
ties. I believe that BITS-Pilani is well
on its way to achieving that goal. I am
especially pleased with the highest
scores awarded to us under the pa-
rameters of research and development
and competence of faculty, which are
rightly given the highest weightage
in your survey,” says Souvik Bhat- NIIT University's Rajesh Khanna (centre): immersive internship ignorance
tacharyya, an alum of Jadavpur,
Cincinnati and Texas A&M (USA) welcomed by Prof. Rajesh Khan- Beyond the Top 10 several private
universities and former vice chancel- na, a chemical engineering graduate engineering universities have made
lor of Jadavpur University who was of IIT-Kanpur who has been on the spectacular gains because of the ra-
appointed vice chancellor of BITS-Pi- faculty of the top-ranked IIT-Delhi tionalisation of previous years com-
lani in 2016. Currently this indisput- for over two decades, and is cur- posite league table. PES University,
ably world-class university has 17,000 rently president of NIIT University Bengaluru has risen to #11 from #18
students and 925 faculty on its five Neemrana (Rajasthan), promoted in 2021-22; Jaypee Institute of In-
campuses in India and abroad. by the well-known ICT (information formation Technology, Noida to
Sub-division of the 2021-22 and communication technology) trans- # 13 (16); VIT Bhopal University to
previous years’ league tables which national NIIT Ltd (annual revenue: #14 (25); Lovely Professional Uni-
ranked universities under the broad Rs.1,038 crore in 2021). In the EWI- versity, Phagwara (Punjab) to #22
heads of government and private has HER 2022-23, NIIT University has (52) and Sir Padampat Singhania
not substantially affected the rank- vaulted into the Top 10 with high University to #24 (28).
ings of the Top 5. However beyond scores under the parameters of re- Moreover it’s important to bear in
the Top 5, rationalisation has enabled search, curriculum and pedagogy and mind that private engineering varsi-
several private engineering univer- internationalism. ties ranked modestly in the national
sities to climb high in the 2022-23 “I am very pleased by our entry league table may well be heavyweights
league table. For instance, the SRM into the Top 10 league table. How- in their host states. For instance, the
Institute of Science & Technol- ever given our parentage and im- Jaypee University of Informa-
ogy, Chennai has vaulted to #6 cf. mersive internship and sustained tion Technology ranked #18 nation-
13 in 2021-22; BML Munjal, Guru- industry connect programmes, I am ally is #1 in Uttar Pradesh (pop.215
gram to #7 (14); Shanmugam Arts, somewhat disappointed by the scores million) and the University of Engi-
Science, Technology & Research awarded to us under the parameters of neering & Management (UEM),
(SASTRA) University, Thanjavur curriculum and pedagogy and indus- Kolkata India #21 is top-ranked in
(Tamil Nadu) to # 8 (14); Hindustan try interface. Evidently your sample West Bengal (pop.91 million).
Institute of Technology (Deemed respondents are not aware that our Tragically the eastern state of Bihar
University), Chennai to #9 (25) industry internship programmes are (pop. 104 million) doesn’t host a pri-
and NIIT University, Neemrana often of six months duration and our vate engineering university sufficient-
(Rajasthan) to #10 (22) jointly with visiting faculty comprises some of the ly reputed for inclusion in EWIHER
SRM University, Sonipat. top leaders of industry. We intend 2022-23. It’s a telling commentary
Rationalisation of the EW league to raise our public profile to make on the unease of doing education in
tables and rating and ranking private these facts known to the public,” says Bihar, the price of which is being paid
universities within their domains is Khanna. by the state’s short-changed youth.

MAY 2022 EDUCATIONWORLD 49