India's Best Universities: Public universities call the shots

Students of University of Delhi on campusA lopsided battle between quantity and quality has been the defining narrative of India's higher education sector over the past decade. India is home to a staggering 694 universities that produce five million graduates. Yet it wasn't until last year, when IIT-Guwahati became the first Indian institution to be ranked in the Times Higher Education Survey's top 100 universities under 50 years old, that any could truly be rated as world class.There are signs that things are slowly improving. Seventeen Indian universities made it to the Asia Top 300 list of QS World University Rankings published this year while in the first ever QS ranking of the top 100 universities in BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries, India is represented by 16 institutions, five of them in the top 20. Increased investment in research infrastructure, skill development initiatives and foreign partnerships are some of the ways in which the country's oldest universities are revamping their academic offerings to meet international standards. But there's still a long way to go."Global rankings place a great deal of emphasis on research, especially interdisciplinary research. Compared to our foreign counterparts, we are still far behind in terms of the number of research papers, journals and projects published each year, says Sudhir Sopory, vice-chancellor, JNU. A study published by the Department of Science and Technology in 2010 shows that India accounted for a paltry 3.5 per cent of the global research output. China, on the other hand, accounted for 19 per cent. "To develop a research culture, we need better funding, industry participation, infrastructure and cross-department cooperation. Personally, it has taken me almost four years to get faculty from different streams to cooperate with joint research work, adds the JNU vice-chancellor.Funding remains a major problem at university research departments across the country. University of Delhi received an estimated Rs 90 crore through various funding channels in 2013 and a total of 4,437 research papers were published by its faculty. Compared to the roughly 21,000 research papers published and Rs 773 crore spent in the same year on research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the research output by India's top university seems dismally low. "In the US, we receive a lot of funding from industry partners. Click here to EnlargeIn India, however, this concept is still in its nascent stage. In public universities, it's practically non-existent. The links between Government, industry and academia need to be improved to increase funding opportunities for research, says Pradeep Khosla, chancellor of the University of California, San Diego. "We also need more recognition for researchers during the early stages of their career. Why wait till one is 60 years old to felicitate their work? It is important to encourage and motivate youngsters in the field to continue their projects and pursue their dreams, he adds.One way that universities are looking to overcome research obstacles in the country is through MoUs with international institutions. Last year over 500 foreign agreements were signed by various colleges and departments. Each of these partnerships gave faculty and students access to resources abroad, many of which might never be found in India."I was overwhelmed by the level of support and interest received for my research in France. Not only did I have my own working space but I also had special laboratories and equipment booked for me. Such advanced infrastructure and conducive environment is still missing back home. This certainly needs to change, says Arnab Bose, 25, who went on a research exchange to Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau, last year. His friend, Jaideep Singh, 27, agrees. Singh, who pursued a summer programme at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, was amazed by the research infrastructure in a country that isn't even a quarter the size of India.Aligarh Muslim University students on campus"It is such a small place yet the dedication to innovation and creativity is unparalleled. Research guides are available round-the-clock for help and if you require special equipment, the institute goes out of its way to acquire it for you. There are no long waits or delays in funding either, says Singh.But change, it seems, is not as readily accepted at Indian universities as it might be abroad. It took three long years for University of Delhi to pilot its four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP) and two years to just gain permission for a new management building in South Campus. At Banaras Hindu University (BHU), many of the older classrooms and buildings still await approval for refurbishing."Of course we won't immediately be able to jump to the same level as Harvard or MIT. The academic structure is different in different countries. The process of trying something new in India is tiring, cumbersome and slow. But we are improving our standards each year, says Dinesh Singh, vice-chancellor, University of Delhi, who despite criticism still swears by his university's FYUP initiative. "I don't think it is fair to force a student to pursue just one subject. By increasing exposure to different disciplines, you are not only building knowledge but also curiosity, he says.Skill and entrepreneurship development are two areas where new initiatives seem to move at a faster pace. Whether it's agreements with the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises to set up incubation units at various colleges or tie-ups with the Nat- ional Skill Development Corporation for hands-on practical training exercises, Indian universities are doing a commendable job at making their students more employable."Nearly all of our top universities, whether public or private, boast of 80 to 90 per cent placement rates today. The problem isn't so much with educated students finding employment as it is with less fortunate students finding a seat at a university. At present, the Gross Enrolment Ratio in the country is around 20 per cent, one of the lowest in the world. This is reflective not only of the lack of encouragement for students to pursue higher education but also the lack of quality universities, says Rahul Choudaha, higher education strategist and chief knowledge officer at World Education Services. BITS-Pilani teachers with their studentsAccording to the latest All India Higher Survey on Higher Education by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, private universities and colleges cater to nearly 65 per cent of the country's total student enrolment, double the number as compared to 10 years ago."If you notice, all top universities abroad are private ones. In India, however, many don't recognise this fact and confuse age of the university as benchmark for quality. Many private universities may only be a few years old but boast of better infrastructure, placement facilities and faculty than those that are over a hundred years old. But all said and done, mindsets are changing and students aren't as hesitant to join a private institute any more, says Suneel Galgotia, founder of the Galgotias group of institutions.This year's india today-Nielsen Best Universities Survey reflects the changing nature of higher education as universities look to innovate and break down some long-standing monopolies. While the very top spots are still occupied by public universities, six new universities have made it to the top 45. These include Tripura University, Mody University of Science and Technology, Sikar, Saurashtra University, Deccan College, Pune, Dr Harisingh Gour University, Sagar, and Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University. Students share a light moment at Christ University, BangaloreThe survey also indicates an overall improvement in the standards of private universities with Amity University, Noida, going up from 21 to 19, BITS-Pilani from 15 to 13 and SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, from 42 to 32. Symbiosis International University, Pune, returns to the ranking at number 30.The reign of public universities however, still continues at the top. University of Delhi claims the number one spot for the fifth year in a row while University of Calcutta remains at number two. Banaras Hindu University jumps up one spot to three, Jawaharlal Nehru University drops one spot to four and University of Hyderabad rounds up the list at number five.As with the best colleges survey, this year's results reveal a vibrant competitive environment as lesser-known universities turn to more innovative methods of teaching and research and turn the focus to making students job-ready. Their willingness to adapt to the new has forced older universities to break out of familiar territory and fight for the top spots they hold. The bar has been raised all around as is clearly reflected in India's outstanding showing in the QS BRICS survey this year. The challenge now is to break into the elite.Follow the writer on Twitter @sonaliacharjeePublished By: AtMigration Published On: Nov 30, 1999 00:00 IST--- ENDS ---

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India's Best Universities: Public universities call the shots

Private universities make a mark but India's public universities continue to rule the roost, revamping academic offerings to meet international standards

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