Why Delhi and Tamil Nadu colleges lead the way

Source– The post is based on the article “Why Delhi and Tamil Nadu colleges lead the way” published in “The Indian Express” on 15th June 2023.

Syllabus: GS2- Issues related to development and management of education

Relevance- Issues related to ranking of educational institutions

News– The 2023 NIRF rankings have recently been announced.

What are the criteria used by NIRF rankings?

The NIRF uses five broad heads of teaching, learning and resources; research and professional practice; graduation outcomes; outreach and inclusivity and perception. There are variables under each head.

In the scores, if there is a significant difference between higher education institutions, tinkering with the methodology won’t change relative rankings. But yes, if the difference is slight, a change in methodology can make differences.

What are some key takeaways from the survey?

The ranking exercise for the year 2023 continues with the practice of providing a common ‘overall’ rank in addition to a separate rank for universities, research institutions, degree colleges, and discipline-specific ranks.

Agriculture and allied sectors and innovation are two verticals added to the ranking exercise from 2023 onward.

In the list of best-100 colleges, Miranda College in Delhi University tops the list, followed by Hindu College in the same university. Both are old colleges. Miranda was established in 1948, and Hindu in 1899.

PSGR Krishnammal College for Women, in Coimbatore is ranked fourth among colleges. This college was established in 1963.

The worst among the list of best-100 colleges is Scottish Church College, in Kolkata. The history of Scottish Church College goes back to 1830. The alumni include Swami Vivekananda, Paramahansa Yogananda, Subhas Chandra Bose.

Scottish Church College has a proud legacy. That’s no guarantee of a proud present.

The brilliant past is no guarantee of success. New entrants are challenging the old order.

In that list of top 100 colleges, there is a clear concentration in Delhi and Tamil Nadu (Chennai, Coimbatore).

How can inclusion be interpreted with rising urbanisation?

It is not about establishing colleges in rural areas. Inclusion can be ensured by access for students in centres of higher education that have positive externalities.

A Geographic centre should not be interpreted as an individual HEI alone, but as a cluster of HEIs. That is probably happening in and around Delhi and Tamil Nadu.