Page 12 - Education World July 2020

Education News

DELHI research and faculty. In EWIPHER,
NIRF Rankings 2020 IMT-G is ranked #5 among India’s

private B-schools.
The infirmity of the NIRF Rank-
ings is that “participating institu-
tions” — assessment is voluntary
— are obliged to submit dozens of
data sets in prescribed formats for
evaluation of the quality of their
teaching, learning and research
capabilities. Nor is the identity of
assessors specified.
The unique feature of the NIRF
Rankings is that these Union HRD
ministry rankings are awarded en-
tirely on the basis of data submitted
by HEIs themselves with institutions
even obliged to assess public percep-
tion suo m otu. Although participat-
ing institutions are warned that the
information submitted by them is
subject to cross-checking and audit,
the process permits a high degree
HE FIFTH EDITION OF THE NIRF by 644 over last year. of subjectivity. Unsurprisingly, a
(National Institutional Rank- However, although detailed and large number of top-ranked private
Ting Framework) Rankings elaborate, the NIRF league tables HEIs — Ashoka University, Indian
2020 released by the Union ministry have not resonated with the public School of Business among others
of human resource development on because the ranks awarded defy not — don’t participate in this official
June 11 has generated considerable only the perceptions of informed annual rankings exercise because the
excitement in some higher education educationists, but all common sense. ministry’s anti-private sector bias is
institutions (HEIs), especially gov- For instance the Birla Institute of self-evident.
ernment colleges and universities. Technology & Science, Pilani, (BITS- “The NIRF Rankings are a
This year, a total of 3,771 in- P, estb.1964) is inexplicably ranked joke because it is plainly a self-
stitutions (294 universities, 1,071 as low as #30 although it is widely assessment exercise, with cursory if
engineering institutions, 630 busi- acknowledged as an engineering any audit of the data submitted by
ness schools, 334 pharmacy and 97 university on a par with the IITs. HEIs. The world’s most respected
law colleges, 118 medical and 48 In the latest EducationWorld India university rankings conducted by
architecture colleges and 1,659 gen- Private Higher Education Rank- globally reputed agencies including
eral degree colleges) submitted data ings 2020-21 (EWIPHER) BITS-P is QS and Ti m es H i gher E duc ati on are
to the HRD ministry to be ranked ranked India’s #2 private university based on the perceptions of several
in NIRF 2020. In all, 5,805 HEIs and #1 private engineering college. thousand knowledgeable sample
submitted data in prescribed formats But in NIRF 2020, the Amrita School respondents including vice chancel-
to become eligible for inclusion in of Engineering (20) and the parvenu lors, faculty, and industry leaders
NIRF’s ‘overall’ Top 200 league table IIT-Patna are ranked higher than mixed with objective data evaluated
and in each category. BITS-P. for research and publications. Given
They were assessed under five Ditto in the NIRF B-schools the unique NIRF assessment meth-
broad parameters — teaching, learn- league table. The B-schools of IIT- odology, it’s unsurprising that many
ing and resources; research and Kharagpur (#5) and IIT-Delhi (#8) excellent HEIs don’t participate, and
professional practice; graduation are ranked above the well-reputed the NIRF rankings awarded to some
outcomes; outreach and inclusivity S.P. Jain Institute of Management HEIs are absurd,” says Premc hand
and public perception — with institu- and Research, Mumbai (#18) and Palety , promoter-CEO of the Delhi-
tions in each discipline required to the B-school of Jamia Millia Islamia based Centre for Forecasting & Re-
submit documentary evidence of aca- (#34) is ranked above IMT-Ghazi- search Pvt. Ltd (C fore, estb.2000),
demic attainments. The number of abad (#37), although the latter has one of India’s most respected market
participating institutions increased a national reputation for excellent research and opinion polls company

12 EDUCATIONWORLD JULY 2020