NIRF Rankings: Comparing Apples and Oranges?

 

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University and college rankings have always been a controversial topic in the higher education space. There is definitely a strong case for collecting data relating to performance, teaching, research, graduation outcomes and holding institutions accountable to certain standards of excellence. But the quest to ace the rankings game often pits institutions against one another in an unhealthy bidding war to increase enrolments. Often the data collected does not reflect the reality on the ground and students are left feeling deceived about their academic choices.
 
The seventh edition of India’s Ministry of Education-driven National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings 2022 has thrown up the same questions. With the usual suspects – IITs, IISc Bangalore, IIMs bagging top spots with scores similar to last year, there seem to be few surprises. Comparing smaller, better-funded institutes with larger, diverse state universities may not be the best way to judge performance. “Putting JNU and IISc together is comparing apples with oranges,” Jawaharlal Nehru University Vice Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi remarked after JNU lost the number one position to IISc.
 
The NIRF rankings are prepared based on parameters such as teaching, learning, resource quality, research, professional practice, graduation outcomes, outreach, inclusivity and perception. However, given the sheer numbers of HEIs, creating one solid framework to assess and rank institutes will have weak links to begin with. According to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE), there are 1043 universities, 39931 colleges and 10725 independent institutions. 
 
Union Minister Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan said that India’s “HEIs are working towards making our education ecosystem more vibrant and making our youth future ready. A robust and objective framework for assessment, accreditation and ranking will play a major role in enhancing quality in the higher education ecosystem.”
 
This is not the first time higher education institutes are being ranked in India. The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC – for colleges and universities) and the National Board of Accreditation (NBA – for technical and professional institutions) was the first government initiative to rank institutions in 1994. Publications such as India Today and The Week also publish their own ranking of colleges and universities. But the NIRF has taken things to a different level.
 
It makes sense for public higher education institutes to participate in this exercise to improve their chances of better funding. Plus the NIRF is being touted as transparent and a good way for institutes to showcase themselves and drive enrolments. However, there needs to be a connect between the data collected via the questionnaire and on-ground realities for the exercise to yield positive outcomes. Otherwise it will remain a hollow attempt without any real value delivered to either institutions or students.

However, there needs to be a link between the data collected via the questionnaire and on-ground realities for it to accurately reveal the performance and increase student satisfaction. Otherwise it will remain a hollow attempt without any real value delivered to either institutions or students.
 
Note: The list of top 100 ranking colleges and Universities in Engineering, Management, Medical, Dental, Law and Architecture fields is available on the official NIRF website.

Indian medical students in Ukraine: Stuck in limbo

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With India’s medical regulator, the National Medical Commission (NMC) locked in a stalemate with state governments, the fate of some 18,000 Ukraine-returned medical students hangs in the balance.

Currently, there are no provisions under the NMC regulations to make allowances for Indian students studying medicine abroad to transfer to domestic medical college mid-session. Earlier in March this year, NMC had indicated that foreign medical graduates who had not completed their internship could finish it in India provided they had cleared the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination. But in May, the NMC wrote to the Union Health Ministry saying they had been directed by the Supreme Court of India to frame a scheme within two months to allow students to complete clinical training in Indian medical colleges.

 

With the Ukraine-returnees at various levels of their medical education, will a one-size-fits-all approach work? Some might be ready for internships while others might not. NMC will now need to assess students on a case by case basis, according to the Supreme Court order.

 

In Kerala, parents and 1,500 Ukraine-evacuated Keralite students have formed a group, All Kerala Ukraine Medical Students’ and Parents’ Association, demanding government action.  Having taken hefty bank loans and paid the entire course fee for the 6-year-course, parents are worried that they will not be able to afford fees at private medical colleges in India.

 

Some students are trying to transfer to other universities in Europe. Sayyan, a third-year student at Kharkiv National Medical University is continuing with online classes at his university as he has already paid the semester fees. There are many others like him in the same situation. However, the quality of these classes with teachers delivering lessons from the safety of their bunkers are often compromised. Practical lessons are also non-existent in the online format.

 

In addition, in the absence of complete clarity or information, it is no easy task to transfer mid-session to other universities in countries such as Hungary, Poland or Romania.

 

A group of students in Chennai recently staged demonstrations demanding that they be admitted into Indian college. But even in cases where state governments are offering help, the NMC is posing a problem. Take for example, the West Bengal government has been pulled up by the NMC for promising to accommodate students from Ukraine. NMC claims that the West Bengal government did not seek permission from them before announcing this move.

 

Stuck in between this bureaucratic tug-of-war are the students. Hopefully, the Supreme Court order (when it arrives) will bring some clarity and provide direction to the students in limbo.