By Dr.S.Ravikumar
The higher education landscape is constantly changing as universities compete to build their reputations and solidify their positions in the academic world. Over the years, university rankings have sparked intense interest and debate, focussing on factors such as research output and efficiency. Research universities drive knowledge creation and sharing, which is critical to regional development. Increasing the representation of Indian universities in global rankings is a critical issue in higher education. The Indian government has implemented various policies and initiatives to promote the growth and development of research universities, such as the Institutions of Eminence scheme aimed at elevating select universities to global standards of excellence in teaching and research.
According to a recent analysis, top-ranked Indian universities based on research output and efficiency include the Indian Institute of Science, the Indian Institutes of Technology, and the Indian Institutes for Management. These institutions have consistently demonstrated strong research output and have effectively contributed to the country’s socio-economic development. However, Indian universities’ representation in global rankings remains a significant challenge, with only a few institutions, such as the Indian Institute of Science and a handful of IITs, appearing in the top global university rankings.
The Indian Institutes of Management have made significant research contributions in management and business fields, influencing policy decisions and enhancing corporate sector efficiency in India. As India focuses on developing its higher education sector, it is crucial to recognise and support the institutions driving progress and shaping the nation’s future. Ranking universities based on their research and efficiency can help identify areas for improvement, further enhancing educational institutions’ impact on regional and national development. Indian central universities play a significant role in shaping the country’s educational landscape and contributing to its socio-economic development through research.
Indian higher education has long faced criticism for various reasons, including the poor quality of course content, shortage of skilled teaching faculty, lack of research interest, inadequate infrastructure facilities, limited financial support, uneven industry-centric skills, and inadequate international collaborations. To address these challenges, the Indian government has undertaken several initiatives, such as the Institutions of Eminence scheme, to elevate select universities to global standards of excellence in teaching and research.
The National Institutional Ranking Framework, established by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, ranks Indian universities and higher educational institutions. The country’s higher education system faces challenges related to quality, research output, funding, infrastructure, and innovation focus. Due to limited funding and resources, only 2.7% of India’s over 1,040 universities offer PhD programs. Efforts are underway to enhance research infrastructure through initiatives like the proposed National Research Foundation; however, budget restrictions pose a challenge. It is critical to significantly increase research funding, introduce new initiatives, such as NRF, alongside existing schemes, and provide undergraduates with course-based research experiences. Upholding academic standards and processes will improve the overall quality of higher education in India.
The NIRF ranking system evaluates performance based on teaching, learning resources, research, graduation outcomes, outreach inclusivity, and perception parameters, but has encountered challenges regarding methodology transparency during the evaluation process. The government uses these tools to identify and support top-performing institutions. However, the endeavour of Indian universities to achieve ‘world-class’ status suffers due to a lack of funding and resources. Collaborative activities involving universities, industry, and the government are crucial drivers for economic growth, innovation, and the advancement of knowledge. Limited efforts have resulted in an institutional barrier between stakeholders due to their lack of understanding.
The Government of India has long prioritised an intense research and development environment, dedicating a significant portion of the national budget to fund initiatives across various sectors. While Union government funding for R&D has declined since 2010, business sector investment in R&D has increased substantially, potentially impacting the nation’s competitiveness and ability to address societal challenges.
In 2020, the world’s leading economy, the United States, invested $708 billion in R&D projects, predominantly funded by government grants, companies, and non-profit foundations. While the fifth-largest economy is aiming to become third, India’s commitment to R&D is commendable; its allocation for research and development has historically lagged behind global leaders. According to the latest available data between 2010 and 2020, India’s gross expenditure on R&D as a percentage of its GDP averaged around 0.74%, significantly lower than the global average of 2.4%. The Indian government is focussing on increasing investment in R&D and innovation, building new research institutions, providing funding for private sector R&D, and fostering public-private partnerships to align with enhancing India’s technological self-reliance in strategic sectors like defence, healthcare, and environmental sustainability. However, there are concerns about prioritising R&D over more immediate socioeconomic needs. Balancing investment in R&D with addressing pressing social challenges is crucial for overall development. Ranking of Universities Based on Research, Efficiency, and Way Forward. The allocation for research and development by the Government of India has been a subject of ongoing discussion due to its significant role in shaping scientific and technological advancements. The higher education system in India is highly diverse, with institutions focusing on research, production, and human resource development. However, the sector faces challenges such as limited government funding for essential research efforts, faculty quality issues, syllabus standards, technological infrastructure limitations, and administrative policies that hinder overall quality. Creating an academic and economic environment that fosters knowledge-sector growth is critical. Additionally, the current situation presents challenges, such as the need for universities to offer PhD programs due to insufficient funding and infrastructure constraints. Nationwide financial challenges are affecting the ability of higher education systems to provide quality education opportunities amidst rising operational costs and increased demand for skilled professionals.
Another crucial issue plaguing the Indian higher education system is the chronic shortage of qualified faculty members in central universities. According to the most recent data, the average vacancy rate for teaching positions in central universities is around 35%. This shortage of qualified faculties has a direct impact on the quality of education and research output at these institutions. The reasons behind this persistent vacancy crisis are multifaceted. Recruitment and retention of talented faculty members are critical for the success of any university, as they are the backbone of the institution’s academic and research activities. Unfortunately, the conventional university system often lacks a proper reward system to recognise and incentivise distinguished research contributions, adversely affecting faculty retention. North-Eastern Hill University has implemented various measures to strengthen its research capabilities and overall institutional effectiveness. In the first place, recent teacher recruitment has boosted every department’s morale. These efforts include developing interdisciplinary research centres, enhancing research facilities, and promoting collaboration between industry and academia. The university has adopted and implemented NEP 2020, established a Research and Innovation Cell to manage, oversee, and assist research endeavours, organised frequent workshops and seminars to enhance research capacity, and devised methods for more effectively sharing research results.
The North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), in the picturesque region of North-East India, is a prime example of an institution struggling to gain a prominent position in national and international university rankings. As a central university, NEHU is well-positioned to contribute significantly to the region’s development through enhanced research and academic activities. This region of India faces unique challenges, including geographical isolation, socioeconomic disparities, and limited access to higher education facilities.
The National Institutional Ranking Framework 2023 report ranked NEHU 80th under the “university” category, placing it outside the top 100 universities in the NIRF 2024 ranking. It marked a drop of 14 ranks from its position at 66th in 2022 and 59th in 2021. The NIRF rankings consider a variety of parameters, including teaching, learning, and resources; research and professional practice; graduation outcomes; outreach and inclusivity; and peer perception. On these parameters, sixteen variables capture data. NEHU scored less than 50 per cent on nine variables, five of which were below even 20 per cent. During admission, allocating extra weight in terms of points or marks to NEHU-affiliated college students had a significant impact on regional diversity, creating an imbalance for those from other universities. NEHU must address each variable separately, focussing more on research and professional practice areas. We need to underscore the significant impact of research on ranking. In a peer group comparison, Tezpur University ranked 69 with 708 indexed publications in 2023, which garnered 1585 citations, with an average of 2.2 citations per paper, while NEHU ranked 80 with 418 publications with a citation of 599, with an average citation per paper of 1.4. The publication number indicates the article’s quality and journal source. The strength of NEHU is women’s diversity, with a score of 100 percent. However, improving research output and quality requires more than just this factor.
The challenges faced by NEHU in improving its national ranking are multifaceted. As previously stated, the chronic shortage of qualified faculty members due to high vacancy rates has a direct impact on the quality of education and research output. Recruitment and retention of talented faculty should be a key priority, along with creating an enabling environment that recognises and incentivises distinguished research contributions. Additionally, NEHU must address the specific variables in the NIRF ranking framework identified as areas of concern, such as research and professional practice, which account for a significant portion of the overall score. Considering the areas for improvement identified in the NIRF rankings, NEHU should focus on enhancing its research capabilities, developing strong industry partnerships, fostering an environment conducive to high-quality teaching and learning, providing better placement, and making every stakeholder in NEHU accountable for its rise or fall.
(The writer is Associate Professor, Department of Library and Information Science. Contact: [email protected])