Reaching For The Stars
India Today|July 01, 2019

A lag in research has hampered the global ranking of Indian universities. This year, our ranking gives significant weightage to research-related attributes.

Kaushik Deka
Reaching For The Stars

What makes a university stand apart from the rest? Is it the quality of students enrolled and faculty engaged in teaching, or the infrastructure? These certainly have a role as the university strives to gain excellence, but are not the primary driver. A close scrutiny of the table toppers in the India today-MDRA survey of India’s best universities reveals that they all have one thing in common—the constant endeavour to innovate and adapt to the growing needs of the local, national and global environment.

This singular trait adds glory to the legacy of reputed universities, pushing them to the top of the rankings year after year. It also exposes an unfortunate trend—in all four categories, the top five universities have faced minimal challenge from the emerging ones. This low-intensity competition also reflects in the performance of Indian universities in global rankings. Only a couple of Indian universities have been able to make it to the top order of global rankings though these rankings, as Jawaharlal Nehru University vice-chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar puts it, cannot be accepted as the last word on Indian universities. “Most of these ranking methodologies focus on the number of Nobel laureates the universities have produced or the volume of funds they receive. The size of the corpus of some of these universities could be higher than the national budget of some countries. We cannot have such a scenario in our country,” says Kumar.

Indian universities don’t produce Nobel winners because our higher education institutes have lagged behind in the area of research. Of course, funds do play a role in promoting research, and Kumar agrees that a socially relevant research project will always attract funds, either from government or private sources.

This story is from the July 01, 2019 edition of India Today.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the July 01, 2019 edition of India Today.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM INDIA TODAYView All
WEAVE A STORY
India Today

WEAVE A STORY

Saree plays muse and material in this modern iteration

time-read
1 min  |
December 23, 2024
SIMPLE LIVING
India Today

SIMPLE LIVING

Spatial planning meets spirituality, and up-cyling meets unconventional design practices, in this Gurgaon home

time-read
1 min  |
December 23, 2024
HARMONY IN DESIGN
India Today

HARMONY IN DESIGN

Using principles of vaastu coupled with a creative interplay of open and closed spaces, this home in Vadodara is a welcome sight

time-read
2 mins  |
December 23, 2024
THE NEW ECO CHIC
India Today

THE NEW ECO CHIC

This home in Kerala is designed on the principles of climate responsive architecture

time-read
2 mins  |
December 23, 2024
Crafting a New Look
India Today

Crafting a New Look

A look at five festive artistic finds from Jaipur to brighten your celebrations

time-read
2 mins  |
December 23, 2024
NAMES TO KNOW
India Today

NAMES TO KNOW

From homes and offices to banquets and hotels, these architects and designers' approach to design is paving the way for some exciting spaces

time-read
3 mins  |
December 23, 2024
CHIC AND COSY
India Today

CHIC AND COSY

Let your indoor winter wonderland revel in bold bedding, quilted beauties and charming cushions

time-read
1 min  |
December 23, 2024
STEP INTO STYLE
India Today

STEP INTO STYLE

This winter, international collaborations are lending the Indian carpet industry a unique look underfoot

time-read
1 min  |
December 23, 2024
DECK THE HALLS
India Today

DECK THE HALLS

With this festive array of accessories, cushions and X'mas-themed decoratives

time-read
1 min  |
December 23, 2024
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
India Today

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Looking for Christmas inspiration? Here are plenty of ideas to steal and products to make it come to life.

time-read
1 min  |
December 23, 2024