Page 76 - EW April 2024_Neat

Cover Story

INDIA’S TOP-RANKED

NON-AUTONOMOUS ASC COLLEGES

In this year’s private non-autonomous colleges league table, speculated why St. Stephen’s has not
St. Stephen’s College, tied to the apron strings of Delhi been awarded autonomous status for
University — a Central government institution — retains its which it applied five years ago. Even
though the National Education Policy
#1 status. Several nationally acclaimed Arts, Science and (NEP) 2020 explicitly recommends
Commerce (ASC) undergrad colleges are in the same boat that excellent colleges should be
awarded autonomy and encouraged
to transform into degree awarding
universities in their own right.
At that time drawing on infor-
mation derived from the academia
grapevine, we opined that the
neta-babu brotherhood which has
controlled and commanded Indian
education — especially higher educa-
tion — with iron grip, is reluctant
to surrender its powers of control
and patronage over India’s finest
higher education institutions that
provide excellent learning at heavily
subsidized tuition (and residential
accommodation) prices. Under the
status quo their powers of patronage
are massive.
Unsurprisingly there is no change
in St. Stephen’s official status and it
continues to remain a Private Non-
autonomous college tied to the apron
St. Stephen’s Prof. John Varghese (centre): service commitment strings of Delhi University — a Cen-
tral government funded institution.
ike God, government moves India’s #1 ASC college. Several nationally acclaimed ASC
in mysterious ways. Any Since 2020 when ASC colleges undergrad colleges such as Miranda
well-educated and well- were divided by your editors into House, Sri Ram College of Com-
Linformed individual will Private Autonomous, Government merce, Lady Shri Ram College,
readily concede that St. Stephen’s Autonomous and Private Non- Hindu College, Sri Ventakas-
College, Delhi (estb.1881) is by far autonomous categories for ranking wara College — all affiliated with
and away India’s most admired/best purposes (to eliminate apples with Delhi University — are in the same
Arts, Science and Commerce (ASC) oranges type comparisons), St. Ste- boat.
undergrad college countrywide. Cer- phen’s has consolidated its numero Indeed of the country’s Top 10
tainly the several thousand sample uno position in the EW national private non-autonomous ASC col-
respondents drawn from academia, league table of Private ASC Non- leges, eight are affiliated with Delhi
industry and students communities autonomous colleges. University, indicative of the heavy
interviewed for the annual Educa- However in the NIRF (National subsidization of the varsity by the
tionWorld India Higher Education Institutional Ranking Framework) Central government. In the Union
Rankings (EWIHER) year after year 2024 of the Union education minis- budget 2024-25, Rs.15,928 crore has
seem to think so. Ab initio since the try, St. Stephen’s is ranked a modest been allocated for Central govern-
annual EWIHER was introduced in #14. That’s the mystery. Last year ment universities (apart from IITs
2013, St. Stephen’s has been voted on this very page your editors had and NITs). An estimated 30 percent

76 EDUCATIONWORLD APRIL 2024