Page 66 - EW May 2025

Cover Story

INDIA’S MOST ADMIRED

NON-AUTONOMOUS ASC COLLEGES

Under India’s complex
control-and-command
higher education system,
only 1,222 of India’s 47,000
colleges have been awarded
autonomous status.
Nevertheless, several
non-autonomous colleges
continue to be highly
ranked and respected

b initio since the annual
EducationWorld India
Higher Education Rank-
Aings were introduced in
2013 to enable parents/school-leav-
ers to identify India’s best colleges
and universities, St. Stephen’s, Delhi
(estb.1881) has been voted India’s #1 St. Stephen’s John Varghese (centre left): positive factors combination
Arts, Science and Commerce (ASC)
college. its excellent reputation for academ- graduate college which provides fin-
Unsurprisingly, this vintage ics and administration, St. Stephen’s est higher ASC education at heavily
college’s numero uno position has has not been granted autonomous subsidised tuition (and residential
remained unaffected after 2020 when status for which it applied six years accommodation) prices. Under the
your editors segregated ASC colleges ago. This despite the National Educa- status quo, their powers of patronage
into Private Autonomous, Govern- tion Policy (NEP) 2020 explicitly are massive. Therefore, Stephen’s
ment Autonomous and Private Non- recommending that excellent col- continues to remain a Christian
autonomous categories for ranking leges should be awarded autonomy minority private non-autonomous
purposes (to eliminate apples with and encouraged to transform into college tied to the apron strings of
oranges type comparisons). In the self-administered multi-disciplinary Delhi University — a Central gov-
separate league table of Private degrees-awarding universities in ernment-funded institution. Several
non-autonomous ASC colleges. St. their own right. Moreover, UGC rules nationally acclaimed ASC undergrad
Stephen’s, Delhi is again ranked #1 state that colleges of more than ten colleges, all eligible for autonomous
with a total score of 633. That’s high- years vintage and awarded minimum status including Miranda House,
er than the total score awarded to Grade A rating by the NAAC (Na- Sri Ram College of Commerce, Lady
St. Xavier’s, Mumbai (602), ranked tional Assessment and Accreditation Shri Ram College, Hindu College, Sri
India’s #1 Private Autonomous ASC Council) are eligible for autonomous Ventakaswara College — all affiliated
College and the Government De- status. St. Stephen’s has had NACC with Delhi University — are in the
gree College for Women, Begumpet, A++ grading for several years. same boat.
Telangana (525), ranked #1 Govern- Evidently, Delhi University and Indeed of the country’s Top 10
ment Autonomous College. Union education ministry officials, private non-autonomous ASC col-
It’s an indictment of the country’s who control St. Stephen’s, are leges, nine are affiliated with Delhi
complex, control-and-command reluctant to surrender their powers University (DU) because of heavy
higher education system that despite of patronage over India’s #1 under- subsidization of the varsity by the

66 EDUCATIONWORLD MAY 2025