New ranking entities proposal puts colleges in a quandary

Hyderabad: The Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) proposal to give licence to independent organisations to act as ranking entities for higher educational institutions is turning harder for universities and colleges.

According to sources in the Telangana State Council for Higher Education (TSHE), the proposal would add another layer for which the universities and colleges would have to undergo. The existing competition in higher education would force the institutions to opt for rankings and ratings from multiple agencies to boost their image and to survive.

Speaking to The Hans India, Dr P Raveender Reddy, Principal, Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology (CBIT) said that every institution would have to go through National Board of Accreditation (NBA) by the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

Similarly, there is The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) for colleges and universities for rating and ranking on all-India basis. In addition to these, there is a ranking process from University Grants Commission (UGC) for autonomy as well as to get funding from the AICTE.

That apart, companies like Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and others have a different methodology for ranking the colleges for campus recruitment process.

“And it is the campus recruitment process which has been the prime factor guiding the students and parents to take admission in an educational institution,” TSCHE sources said. Clarifying this, Principal of Srinidhi Engineering College, Dr P Narasimha Reddy said that the rating of the campus by corporate entities has been done taking into consideration different stakeholders.

One of the parameters of ranking the college includes the ranks of students in the entrance tests like Engineering, Agriculture and Medical Common Entrance Test (EAMCET), All-India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) on the basis which they have taken admission.

It was against this background that though the other accreditation process was taken as part of the compliance, it was the rankings and ratings by the industry which have become more popular among the private engineering and management institutions.

However, at the same time, the private colleges have also been going for rankings from other agencies like The Week, Outlook and the like to increase their branding adding another layer of accreditation process making it tough for the colleges.

Because, a lot of time would be spent on preparing reports and compliances for the ranking accreditations, besides the university inspections, and this kind of multiple rankings and ratings would sure make students confused, said Dr P Raveender Reddy.

Since the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and National Institute of Technology (NIT) evincing interest in entering the fray of ranking and rating, the competition is set to become tough. But, the end results will be the same as the rankings by the recruiting companies remain popular for students, sources said.