NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
Theme : Education & Governance
Paper : GS - 2
- According to the QS World ranking: The 2023 edition of the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) world university ranking reckons three of India’s higher educational institutions amongst the top 200 of the World. Another three are counted among the top 300 whereas two more in the top 400.
- As per the Times Higher education Ranking: The Times Higher Education (THE) ranking places only one Indian institution among the top 400 of the worlds.
TABLE OF CONTENT
- Context
- Indian Institute’s Ranking
- Why other than IITs and INIs reflect Poor Performance ?
- Good Practices of Best Universities
Context : None of India’s Institutions of higher education appears in the list of top 100 universities of the world.
Indian Institute’s Ranking :
- According to the QS World ranking: The 2023 edition of the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) world university ranking reckons three of India’s higher educational institutions amongst the top 200 of the World. Another three are counted among the top 300 whereas two more in the top 400.
- As per the Times Higher education Ranking: The Times Higher Education (THE) ranking places only one Indian institution among the top 400 of the worlds.
- Academic rankings: Rankings are the same with the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). Barring one of the most eminent public-funded deemed universities of the country, all the rest are Institutions of National Importance (INIs) the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), to be specific.
Why other than IITs and INIs reflect Poor Performance ?
- IITs have more autonomy: IITs are not only better funded but also generally self-governed, enjoying a greater degree of autonomy as they fall outside the regulatory purview of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
- Strict UGC regulations: Funded through the University Grants Commission (UGC), universities are all subject to a very strict regulatory regime.
- Micro-management of universities functioning: Abiding by UGC regulations and AICTE guidelines, encompasses almost all aspects of their functioning be it faculty recruitment, student admission and the award of degrees. In many cases, they are micro-managed by the regulatory authorities.
- Very less autonomy to UGC affiliated Universities: Most of the universities have become so comfortable with the practice that they rarely assert their autonomy.
- Ranking on basis of compliance: Central universities in the country are also ranked on the basis of their ‘obedience’ to regulatory compliances. Even in the academic domain, many of them are comfortable in publicly stating that they have adopted the model curricula, pedagogy and syllabi prescribed by the regulatory bodies, even though the same may have been only indicative.
Good Practices of Best Universities :
- Importance to autonomy: The best universities in the world are continuously sensitized about the importance of their autonomy and are trained and enabled to make their own decisions.
- University autonomy tool for comparison: The European University Association (EUA), for example, prescribes a ‘university autonomy tool’ that lets each member university compare its level of autonomy vis-à-vis the other European higher education systems across all member countries.
- Four specific autonomies for ranking: By focusing on four autonomy areas (organizational, financial, staffing, and academic) the EUA computes composite scores and ranks all the countries in Europe.
FAQs :
1. What is India’s Status in QS Ratings ?
Answer : The 2023 edition of the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) world university ranking reckons three of India’s higher educational institutions amongst the top 200 of the World. Another three are counted among the top 300 whereas two more in the top 400.
2. How is EUA Autonomy computed ?
Answer : By focusing on four autonomy areas (organizational, financial, staffing, and academic) the EUA(European Universities Association ) computes composite scores and ranks all the countries in Europe.