CATEGORIES

India's Best Universities 2023

100 public and 35 private universities ranked overall; 665 universities ranked across 11 academic domains.

'THE UNIVERSITY IS A PLACE FOR UNIVERSAL THINKING'

In June 2022, University of Lucknow became the first state university in Uttar Pradesh to secure an A++ grade from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). LU will introduce a Faculty of Agriculture this year and has constituted a committee to guide the introduction of dual-degree and one-year postgraduate programmes, both recommendations of the National Education Policy 2020. Alok Kumar Rai joined LU as vice-chancellor in December 2019 and was re-appointed in December 2022. Edited excerpts from his conversation with Careers360 below.

A BUSINESS OF HER OWN

IIM Bangalore's business incubator, NSRCEL, has been supporting women entrepreneurs. Meet some of the business owners and their ventures.

'A WAY TO LIVE WITH EACH OTHER'

Graduation ceremonies, picnics, dealing with local authorities - how foreign students' associations and collectives help overseas students settle in.

CREATING A SAFE SPACE

A handful of Indian educational institutions, including IIT Delhi and NALSAR Hyderabad, have introduced gender-neutral toilets and spaces.

'LONG WAY TO GO'

Disabled students are bullied and harassed on campuses and get little support. The number of disabled persons in higher education has dropped 14% from 2019-20 to 2020-21.

EMPTY SEATS BUT GREATER DIVERSITY

How has switching to a national exam for admissions impacted central universities across the country?

'WE'RE LIVING ON PAST SAVINGS'

Public universities are left finding ways to be thrifty and generate income as their funding needs far outstrip government budgets.

MANY HOPES PINNED ON VD COLLEGE

Once VD College is upgraded, it will become the first state-run, affiliating university in South Bihar. The region, one of the most backward in the country, needs it.

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR COLLEGE YEARS

The years of undergraduate studies can be utilised to set a solid foundation for a successful career even for those in non-professional courses. Here's how.

GEARING UP FOR CHANGE

How much progress have central universities made in implementing NEP reforms such as multiple exits, ABC registration, four-year UG programmes and dual degrees? Recently, UGC took stock.

HOW OSMANIA UNIVERSITY IS RAISING FUNDS

The state university in Hyderabad, Telangana, is struggling to pay salaries and pensions even with two-thirds of its posts vacant.

A GREAT UNIVERSITY IN CHAOS

Bidyut Chakravarty's tenure as VC of VisvaBharati has been a tumultuous one, replete with protests, suspensions, rustications and court cases.

FROM 42 MOUZA TO NASA

An Odisha non-profit has assembled a team of school students including orphans and children of daily-wagers to build a rover for moon They have been selected to join exploration. NASA's rover challenge.

BY STUDENTS FOR STUDENTS

Children even cross the Gomti river to attend classes offered by Koshish, an NGO which has student volunteers from an engineering college teach school kids from poor, marginalised communities.

HOW DO YOU PROTECT CHILDREN IN SCHOOL?

Tamil Nadu schools have set up student safeguarding advisory committees to prevent sexual harassment. Now, the Madras High Court has ordered internal complaints committees as well.

NOT 'TOO YOUNG TO UNDERSTAND'

Ina country squeamish about sex education, two private schools have bravely started and protected LGBTQIA+ support groups.

SCRIPTING A LANGUAGE

As far as Dhaniram Toto knows, around two centuries ago, his people started moving out of the region of Mongolia and made their way to West Bengal where they founded Totopara and settled down. The Toto language, spoken by under 1,700 individuals at last count, had no script until Dhaniram Toto, 59, gave it one. For his achievement, he is being awarded the Padma Shri in 2023. He spoke to Careers 360 about the language, its speakers and the birth of the Toto alphabet. Edited excerpts.

SCHOOLING IN A 'FOREIGN' LANGUAGE

Kerala designed a series of textbooks and learning materials exclusively for the Muthuvans, a tribal community residing deep in the forests of the Western Ghats, who don't speak Malayalam and don't have a script.

STUDYING SCIENCE WITHOUT BOOKS OR WRITING

Tamil Nadu’s volunteer-driven programme to encourage STEM learning has been received well but the frequency of the classes is too low.

ODISHA: FAILING ITS CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Odisha doesn't allow teachers holding qualifications in special education to join regular schools. This has left the vast majority of its 1.46 lakh disabled students without vital support.

YEARS FOR FRUIT; MONTHS FOR SALARY

Uttar Pradesh has implemented neither the increased cooking cost nor the honorarium for workers. Instead, payments are delayed and children served poor quality school meals.

ADOPTED AND ABANDONED

Only some of the schools adopted by elected leaders and bureaucrats in UP have seen real development. The rest still await teachers, benches, toilets.

CHAOS, CONFUSION ABOUT BOARD EXAMS IN CLASSES 5, 8

More states have framed policies for public exams in elementary school from 2023. But private schools are caught in a fix over them.

WHAT HAPPENED IN BENGAL?

West Bengal's teacher recruitment scam has stalled hiring for years and left generations of children without quality teachers.

LEARNING BEYOND CLASSROOMS, EXAMS

Workshops, internships, community service, field work in high school 'make children socially conscious, foster independent thinking'

SYLLABUS CUTS PUSH STUDENT TO 'DUMMY' SCHOOLS

During the pandemic, the CBSE exam syllabus was cut and the NCERT textbooks' content 'rationalised'. But the major entrance exams' syllabi remained the same.

NATIONAL VS INTERNATIONAL

Schools affiliated to international boards have spread even to tier-two towns. How do they compare with national education boards?

Why Indian Students Are Important To The UK

Indian students are regarded as valuable contributors to the advancement of science and technology research in international campuses.

High Interest In Foreign B-Schools But Jobs Are A Concern

Management is a popular choice for postgraduate studies abroad but with the recent downturn, many students are looking to return to India, say experts.