NIRF Ranking: Breathing New Life Into Higher Education In India

Across the world, this century has seen a resurgence of reforms in the higher education sector. This is particularly the case in India. Several recently adopted reforms have promoted the expansion of the system and improved the quality and relevance of education

Expand the System

India's higher education (HE) sector has moved from a period of slow development and low gross enrollment ratios (BITs) to a period of unprecedented growth. Over the past 15 years, student numbers have quadrupled to reach 34 million in 2015-2016, with a GER of 24%. The Indian education system now exceeds that of the United States in size and ranks second in the world, behind China.

The massification of the education system was largely based on private funding. Market-friendly reforms introduced by the state include cost recovery measures in public institutions and promote the privatization of universities. Although the process was slow at the start, private universities are multiplying and currently represent more than 60% of establishments and staff.

Improve Quality

To improve the quality of HE, India has established external quality assurance agencies as well as internal quality assurance mechanisms. Although accreditation is mandatory to obtain public funds, the majority of private HE establishments are still not accredited.

Grading is another initiative put in place to improve quality. Indian institutions are not well placed in the world university rankings. This is why the government launched a national ranking in 2015 called the “National Institutional Ranking Framework” (NIRF). The first results, published in April 2023, clearly show that the highest ranked institutions are mostly state-funded central universities.

Some are convinced that the creation of universities of international stature will allow India to move up in the world rankings. Hence the government's idea of ??supporting the creation of 20 universities of international stature in the near future. It appears that India, like many other developing countries, is engaged in a process of accelerated conversion of existing institutions into universities of international stature.

Strengthen Alignment With The World Of Work

Despite the sector's growth, many Indian employers have lost confidence in the quality of qualifications provided by the country's universities. They wonder if these universities are equipping their students with the qualifications and skills the job market is looking for.

To restore the credibility of academic qualifications and strengthen their relevance to the world of work, India is developing an outcomes-based National Higher Education Qualification Framework (NHEQF) for learning, employability, and skills. This measure follows the establishment of the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF), developed in 2013.

It is now a matter of tackling issues of equity and diversity in order to offer affordable, quality higher education in the context of market-driven reforms. It is hoped that the national education policy currently being developed will help resolve some of these problems.

The Way Ahead

While India has made significant strides in expanding access to higher education, there is still work to be done to improve equity, quality, innovation, and employability.

In 2019-2020 the country had 1,043 universities and 42,343 colleges. Moreover, there existed one Central Open University, 14 State Open Universities. The total enrolment in higher education was around 38.5 million in 2019-2020 and about 79.5% of the students were enrolled in undergraduate-level programmes.

Now, these numbers have seen massive increase in rankings both in terms of quality and education. However, on the equity front, targeted financial assistance and quotas have enabled greater representation in higher education. However, more grassroots counseling is needed to boost enrollment and retention rates in marginalized communities. Special incentives could attract quality faculty to teach in remote areas to mitigate regional disparities.

When it comes to quality, most Indian institutes grapple with poor infrastructure, outdated pedagogies, faculty shortages, and overburdened systems. Academic reforms promoting interdisciplinary learning, technology integration, and collaborations with international universities and industry could modernize curriculums. Elevating standards for accreditation, recruitment, and results will enhance accountability across the higher education ecosystem.

The Relevance of Washington Accords

The Washington Accord, originally signed among six countries in 1989, represents an international agreement among bodies responsible for accrediting undergraduate engineering degree programs.

As of now, there are 21 nations that are members of the Washington Accord. India became its permanent member on June 13, 2014. On completion of six years, the status of the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) as permanent signatory to the Washington Accord was extended for the next six years in June 2020.

Membership in the Washington Accord is an international recognition of the quality of undergraduate engineering education offered by the member country and an avenue to bring it into the world class category. It encourages and facilitates the mobility of engineering graduates and professionals at an international level. The NBA accredited programmes offered by the Tier-I Institution are eligible for recognition by other signatories to the Washington Accord.

What’s next?

Fostering cultures of creativity, critical thinking, and entrepreneurship across campuses can boost research and innovation output. Mechanisms to translate promising ideas into commercial ventures through start-up incubators, patenting assistance, and seed funding can also help strengthen university-industry partnerships.

Finally, the debate between liberal versus professional education must be resolved to deliver more employable graduates. Indian higher education needs to prioritize hands-on training, internships, career counseling, skill development, and global exposure so that youth can meet the ever-evolving demands of the job market.

Conclusion

The road ahead is undoubtedly challenging, but necessary reforms, if executed sensitively, can help India harness its demographic dividend by creating an empowered and capable next generation workforce. The central and state governments, along with the extensive higher education network, must collaborate to ensure that expansion does not dilute academic standards or social justice commitments. Quality must not be sacrificed for quantity but rather become its defining hallmark.