Why in the News?

Indian Institute of Technology(IIT), Madras is the best education institution in the country for the sixth time since 2019, according to the overall ranking based on parameters identified and defined in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Background (Need for NIRF)
• About NIRF (Objective, Features, Ranking Framework, etc.)
• NIRF 2024 Rankings

Background:

• In a country as diverse as India, ranking universities and institutions is not an easy task.
• The Ministry of Education established the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in 2016 to determine the critical indicators on which institutions’ performance could be measured.
• Since then, institutions nationwide, including universities and colleges, eagerly await their standings in this nationally recognised system every year.

What is National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF)?

• It is a methodology adopted by the Ministry of Education, to rank institutions of higher education in India.

Key Features of the Rankings:

• Participation: Participation in the NIRF rankings is voluntary. Institutions submit detailed data, which is then processed and ranked based on the NIRF criteria.
• Transparency: The NIRF ensures transparency by making its ranking methodology, data sources, and scoring system publicly available. This allows institutions to understand the areas they need to improve.
• Impact: NIRF rankings have become a significant reference point for students and parents in selecting institutions for higher education. They also encourage institutions to improve their performance in teaching, research, and inclusivity.

How Does the NIRF Rank Institutes?

• Currently, the NIRF releases rankings across various categories: ‘Overall’, ‘Research Institutions’, ‘Universities’, and ‘Colleges’, and specific disciplines like engineering, management, pharmacy, law, etc.

• The ranking framework judges these educational institutions under five broad generic groups of parameters of:
• Teaching, Learning and Resources (TLR) (30% weightage),
• Research and Professional Practice (RP) (30% weightage),
• Graduation Outcomes (GO) (20% weightage),
• Outreach and Inclusivity (OI) (10% weightage) and
• Perception (PR) (10% weightage)

NIRF 2024 Rankings:

• IIT Madras has been ranked the best educational institution in India for the sixth consecutive year and retained its top position in engineering for the ninth year.
• The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, continues to be the leading institution in both the universities and research categories.
• IIM Ahmedabad remains the top management institute for the fifth year, and AIIMS Delhi is the best medical college for the seventh consecutive year.
• The rankings, released by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, include 16 categories this year, with new additions for open universities, skill universities, and State public universities.
• Overall, 6,517 institutions participated in the rankings.
• IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay follow IIT Madras in engineering, while IIM Bangalore and IIM Kozhikode rank after IIM Ahmedabad in management.
• The rankings highlight the prominence of institutions in New Delhi, with Hindu College and Miranda House leading the colleges category.
• In law, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, remains the top institution for the seventh year.
• Anna University, Chennai, is ranked as the best State public university, and IGNOU, New Delhi, is the top open university.
• The Ministry of Education is also considering including institutions from neighbouring countries in the rankings in the future.