Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister, Smriti Irani talks on global rankings of Indian institutions

Updated on: Tuesday, December 15, 2015

hrdWhile there is a hue and cry about Indian higher education institutes/ universities not finding positions in global rankings, the Human Resource Development (HRD) Minster, Smriti Irani has blamed it to the criteria followed by the international agencies.

The government on December 14 said that the Indian universities and higher education institutions are not getting their due place in global rankings, mainly due to the criteria which depend a lot on the perception of a "selected group" of persons. According to PTI reports, Irani told the Lok Sabha that government is coming out with a system for ranking of institutions based on objective criteria under the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).

During Question Hour, Irani said that several premier educational institutions in the country have set global standards in education and research. Although, entry of Indian institutions of higher education in global ranking surveys like the 'QS' and the 'THE' portrays a positive and optimistic trend, the Indian institutions are not getting their due place in the global rankings. "This is primarily because of the criteria used by these agencies for ranking, which depend a lot on the perception of a select group of persons".

"While working on their strengths, the Indian higher education institutions would need to work on improving their perception index if they have to better their global rankings," Irani added. She also mentioned the names and ranking of the institutes which made it to global rankings.

QS 2015 Ranking of Indian Institutes:

IIT Delhi: 179
IISc Bangalore: 147
IIT Bombay 202
IIT Kanpur: 271
IIT Kharagpur: 286
IIT Madras: 254
IIT Roorkee: 391

Times Higher Education Ranking Bracket 2015:

IIT Bombay (351-400)
IIT Roorkee (351-400)
IISc Bangalore (276-300)

According to Irani, several initiatives have been taken to improve the teaching and learning processes and research. These include Global Initiative for Academic Networks (GIAN) under which academicians from foreign universities come to teach in India, Choice-Based Credit System (CBCS) and improving curricula for undergraduate courses.
 

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