Rankings, and the Realities of Higher Education

Context:

Recently, the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), established by the Ministry of Education, released the India Rankings for 2023, which is the eighth consecutive edition of rankings of higher education institutions.

About the Framework:

• The NIRF, approved by the Ministry of Education in 2015 is the first-ever effort by the government to rank Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the country. 

Categories Used:  

• Overall
• Universities
• Colleges
• Research Institutions
• Innovation 

Subject Domains Involved:

• Engineering
• Management
• Pharmacy
• Medical
• Dental
• Law
• Architecture & Planning
• Agriculture and Allied Sectors 

Parameters of Evaluation with Weightage: 

• Teaching, Learning & Resources (30%)
• Research and Professional Practice (30%)
• Graduation Outcomes (20%)
• Outreach and Inclusivity (10%)
• Perception (10%)
  • Ranks are assigned based on the sum of marks secured by institutions on each of these parameters. 

Highlights of NIRF Ranking 2023: 

• Total number of participating HEIs, number of categories and subject domains in the ranking exercise have increased.
• Leading Engineering Institution: IIT-Madras 
  • Top engineering institution in India for the eighth consecutive year.
• Top Management Institute: Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad
• Top Law Institute: The National Law School of India University, Bengaluru
• Top Pharmacy Institute: The National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hyderabad

Three Distinct Additions of 2023 Edition of India Rankings:

• New Subject: Introduction of a new subject namely Agriculture & Allied Sectors
• Innovation: Integration of “Innovation” ranking previously executed by the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) into the India Rankings with an aim to reduce the burden on institutions of providing similar data to two different agencies.
• Expansion of Scope: Expansion of scope of “Architecture” to “Architecture and Planning” to include institutions imparting courses in Urban and Town Planning.
  • With the addition of a new category (Innovation) subject domain (Agriculture & Allied Sectors) and expansion of “Architecture” to “Architecture and Planning”, the existing portfolio of India Rankings has increased to 13 categories and subject domains that have been ranked in India Rankings 2023.

Important Data by NIRF Ranking 2023:

Issues:

• Issue of Participation of Institutions:
  • On comparing this edition of NIRF to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2021, the outcome implies that only 12.3% of higher educational institutions participated in the ranking process. 
  • There is near to no information for the remaining 87.7% of higher education institutions, which is a matter of concern, especially for a nation aspiring to reap rich demographic dividends. 
• Rural-Urban Divide in Participation: 
  • The list of top 100 colleges shows scant presence of colleges from rural areas. 
  • The lack of participation of institutions from rural areas raises questions on the inherent urban bias of the ranking framework, reinforced by the choice of parameters.
• Incongruence between Quantity and Quality:
  • On focussing on both the rankings, the fact came out is that Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of colleges in the country, followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka, while under the list of top 100 quality colleges no single college emerged from U.P., only three colleges made their name from Maharashtra and only two from Karnataka.
  • 81% of high-quality colleges in the above-mentioned three states highlight the need for a mission to improve quality across the country.
  • Quality differences are evident between private and government institutions as well. There is tremendous scope for many more State universities to figure in this list.
  • If the quality of State universities is enhanced, it would also serve the purpose of serving students in rural locations.
• Ratio of Faculty Strength: 

• • Quality education cannot be provided with brick and mortar alone.

• Scientific Publications: 
  • Faculty strength and quality also get reflected in scientific publications. 
  • Only 12.3% of institutions which have participated in the ranking contribute close to 90% of scholarly output in the country. 
  • This is even more startling in the case of engineering, where 99.98% of total scientific publications came from the institutions participating in the rankings.
  • In management, 50% of the institutions which applied for being included in the rankings had zero publications.

Way Forward:

• Quality Enhancement: Urgent need for quality enhancement in the higher education system, which requires substantial financial resources. 
  • If rankings are to serve the purpose of being an input for informed evidence-based policy decisions, then budgetary outlays for higher education needs a quantum jump in India.
• Outreach & Inclusivity: Nurturing faculty research output by providing adequate resources, incentives, and recognition.
  • Promoting outreach and inclusivity by increasing the diversity of students, faculty, and staff and engaging with the local and global communities.
• Enhance Student- Faculty Ratio: Improvement in this arena is important because more faculty implies more students, more research, more outreach, more ideas and more projects.
• Coherence with Other Scores: NIRF must take into consideration the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and National Board of Accreditation (NBA) scores for better inclusion and outcomes. 
• Comprehensive Evaluation: Need to go beyond bibliometrics and consider a broader range of qualitative and quantitative factors to provide a more comprehensive assessment of institutional performance.
• Transparency: Need to focus on transparency in ranking methodologies, while striking a balance between quantitative metrics and qualitative assessments for more accurate and meaningful evaluation.

News Source: The Hindu