Latest QS rankings show 17 Indian universities in Asias top 300. Pitifully small, especially considering this is a Asia-only. Reasons are well known. UGC, strait-jacketed thinking, lack of independent leadership, minimal research, lack of breadth in learning, all contribute to poor institutions. That said, there is one small (only 5%) criterion in these rankings which may work against Indian institutions. We lack international faculty and students, and this is also a factor in the rankings. I agree that this is important, for it creates and strengthens a culture of open-ness which is critical to learning. At the same time, I fail to see how a German student in the UK is international whereas a Bihari student at IISc is not. Some rethink on this is needed. As for the rankings, I dont have any hope on the sarkari ones in the future, even the IITs. The only realistic chance of getting anywhere with higher education is in the private sector. Government should replace its subsidies of the institutions with subsidies for poor students directly, and let them go to any university they like.
Posted on: Tue, 13 May 2014 02:54:32 +0000