The standing of the lone central university in the state – Nagaland University (NU) continues to falter in the ranking of Institutions of Higher Education in India.
The latest ranking of National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) - ‘India Rankings 2020’ was released by the Union Minister of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ on June 11.
As per the report, the NU’s position descended further this year. In 2019, NU was ranked in 101-150 band in both the Overall and University categories.
While it maintained the same position in the University category (101-150), 'Overall' it was ranked in 151-200 band in 2020, signifying a fall in its performance.
Launched in 2016, the NIRF ranks Institutions of Higher Education in various categories on the basis of their performance on five broad categories of parameters - Teaching, Learning and Resources (TLR), Research and Professional Practice (RP), Graduation Outcomes (GO), Outreach and Inclusivity (OI) and Perception (PR). Ranks are assigned based on the total sum of marks assigned for each of these five broad groups of parameters, MHRD said.
NU’s evidently falling performance should be a cause of concern for all stakeholders as this came at a critical time when the conventional methods of imparting and acquiring are undergoing drastic changes.
This was not always the case, though. After non-starter in the first two years, NU make in strong footprint in 2018 entering the top 100 list by ranking in the 95th position in the University category.
The mood was upbeat then and the way forward was the move-up further. However, things seem to be not going as intended in the last two years.
It can be argued that a ranking does not reflect the overall utility of an educational institution and many other parameters outside the purview of the assessment matter. However, if one's ranking is falling further within the given parameters, it implies two things - either one is sliding or the others are going ahead.
To be fair, a total number of 3771 unique institutions, as per MHRD, offered themselves for ranking under “Overall,” category-specific and /or domain-specific rankings for India Rankings 2020.
However, a brief perusal of “Submitted Institute Data” for NIRF 2019 and 2020 on NU’s website indicated that the documents were more or less similar. Is it one of the causes for the decline in the ranking?
The present ranking also came at a time when NU's Institutional Accreditation (Grade B, Cycle 2), granted in July 2014 with the validity period of 5 years, may be scheduled for re-assessment by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).
NU, which came into being as 13th Central University on September 6, 1994, has made invaluable contributions toward education and other fields. The University also observed its 25th anniversary under the theme ‘For a vibrant future’ last year, indicating a change in direction as well as a reorientation.
The present commentary, thus, is not to berate or invalidate NU’s stature or its utility but an ardent call for a course correction, given the value and potentialities it possesses.
In the greater scheme of things, apart from the primary objective of serving as an entity to disseminate knowledge by providing infrastructural and research facilities, one of the NU’s stated missions include an assurance to pay “special attention to the improvement of the social and economic conditions and welfare of the people of the state, their intellectual, academic and cultural development.”
As it enters into a new realm, the NU needs to step up, revisits its mission and objectives to face challenges as well as opportunities in equal measures.
