Sir,
This has reference to the news item ‘JU slips by 23 notches in NIRF ranking ; KU among top 100,SMVDU improves position’ (DE, Apr10, 2019). It is sad to read that that Jammu university, which had earned the ranking of 64th, 63rd and 51st respectively in the years 2016, 2017 and 2018 , secured the 74th rank among the Indian universities in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), 2019, issued by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development.At the same time, Kashmir University, which had the ranking of 73rd and 47th respectively in the years 2017 and 2018 and which had failed to secure any place among the top 100 Indian universities in 2016, stood at 53rd place in the NIRF ranking this year.
Though KU has slipped by 06 notches, it has found a place among the 100 top institutions of higher learning across the country. At the same time, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, Katra has secured 85th rank among top 100 Engineering institutions across the country and also figured among the top 100 business schools across the country.What is shocking is that in other categories such as College Management, Pharmacy, Law, Agriculture and Medical Institutes, no higher institute from our state has figured in the list.The NIRF ranking need to be taken seriously and JU ought to find out the cause of its poor ranking this year.Similarly, there is need to focus on all the parameters which cover teaching, learning and resources,research and professional practices, outreach and inclusivity and perception etc on which the ranking of varsities is done.The ranking shows that the universities of our state have a long way to go to match the national and global standards.
Thus, there is need for these varsities to chalk out an ambitious plan to earn a position among the top hundred best universities at the global level and then work hard to achieve the target.There should also be a mechanism to devise parameters for ranking senior secondry schools across the country to know which school stands where in the ranking. The Government, on its part ought to give incentives in the form of liberal grants and funds for the better performing institutes and disincentives to those which do not perform. There is also need to focus on higher institutes of law, agriculture, Pharmacy, Medical institutes etc in our state so that these institutes improve their performance in various parameters and earn a position among the top 100 institutes at the national and global level.
Ashok Sharma,
Housing Colony,
Udhampur
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