Page 57 - EW May 2020 for Flipbuilder

says P re m c h a n d P a l e ty , founder-
CEO of C fore.
Unsurprisingly, the I n dia n I n s ti-
tu te of S c ie n c e , B a n g a l ore (I I S c ,
estb.1909) is ranked the country’s #1
higher education institution in the
EW Government University Rankings
2020-21, with top scores under seven
of the ten parameters of higher edu-
cation excellence including research
and innovation, given highest weight-
age (300), in the survey. Promoted in
1909 through a generous land grant
from pioneer industrialist J.N. Tata
who founded the Mumbai-based Tata
business empire, IISc with an enrol-
ment of 4,200 students, including
2,750 doctoral students, mentored by
500 highly-qualified faculty, is widely Anna University’s Dr. Surappa (centre right): improvement stimulus
acknowledged as the country’s pre-
mier engineering and sciences post- 100 National Institutional Rankings league tables of government univer-
grad institution. This centrally-funded Framework (NIRF, in which IISc is sities are the centrally-funded T a ta
deemed university has been allocated ranked #1), the wrong way. Particu- I n s titu te of F u n da m e n ta l R e -
Rs.591.65 crore in the Union Budget larly since EducationWorld has been s e a rc h ( T I F R ) , M u m b a i, at #2,
2020-21. critical of the NIRF evaluation meth- J a w a h a rl a l N e h ru U n iv e rs ity
Though IISc has a well-deserved odology based entirely on data sub- ( J N U ) , D e l h i #3 and U n iv e rs ity
national, even international, reputa- mitted by universities. of D e l h i #4. However, the Top 10
tion for academic and research ex- Although this data is reportedly table also includes A n n a U n iv e r-
cellence — it is one of three Indian audited by the HRD ministry, the s ity , C h e n n a i, ranked #5, P a n j a b
higher ed institutions (apart from IIT- NIRF league tables display patent ab- U n iv e rs ity , C h a n dig a rh #6 and
Bombay and IIT-Delhi) to be ranked surdities. For instance, B I T S - P il a n i, J a da v p u r U n iv e rs ity , K ol k a ta #7
in the Top 200 league table of the QS routinely ranked India’s #1 engineer- — all state government universities.
World University Rankings 2020 — it ing college and #2 private university B a n a ra s H in du U n iv e rs ity at #8,
is a chained handmaiden of the Union by EducationWorld, is #23 in NIRF I n s titu te of C h e m ic a l T e c h n ol -
government. 2019, way below obscure varsities og y , M u m b a i #9 and H y de ra b a d
Numerous emails requesting an such as Kerala, Panjab, and Andhra. and M u m b a i u n iv e rs itie s complete
interview with director D r. A n u ra g Following IISc in the 2020-21 the Top 10.
K u m a r were denied on the ground Jadavpur’s Das: inclusion pride D r. M . K . S u ra p p a , vice chancel-
that the EW rankings survey is not lor of Anna University (AU, estb.1978),
authorised by government. “Though is elated about AU’s #5 India and #1
we are honoured to have been ranked in Tamil Nadu ranking. “Anna Univer-
#1 in your rankings, as a matter of sity is the top-ranked state university
policy, we officially participate only in in the EW government universities
government of India rankings or those league table. This is indeed a notable
designated by GoI,” wrote G ov in da n achievement. AU is the only higher ed
R a n g a ra j a n , chair, division of in- institution in India to offer study pro-
terdisciplinary research at IISc, in an grammes in almost all branches of en-
email message to your correspondent. gineering and technology apart from
Evidently and perhaps understand- science and business management
ably, the IISc management, which is degree courses. However, I am disap-
entirely dependent on the Rs.591 pointed with our scores under the pa-
crore annual government grant, is rameters of curriculum and pedagogy,
wary of rubbing the whimsical man- industry interface, and infrastructure.
darins of the Union HRD ministry, We will reflect and work on improving
which publishes its own annual Top our scores under these parameters to

MAY 2020 EDUCATIONWORLD 57