Ranking parameters used by global agencies often go against Indian universities, according to officials in the human resource development (HRD) ministry.
Among the reasons why Indian varsities fall behind is that research revenue from the private sector contributes significantly to the ranking system.
Currently, a large number of research-related projects are funded by the government under various schemes and private sector participation is limited.
None of the Indian institutes figured in a recent report by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) on the top 200 universities in the world, raising serious concerns about the Indian education sector. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), New Delhi, topped the list among the Indian institutes at 222nd position.
Senior officials have admitted that QS's ranking parameters are unfavourable to the Indian educational system. "The parameters used include research revenue from the private sector, the number of international students and citation work. In India, the government still funds research projects unlike institutions abroad. Also, when we do not have enough seats for our own students, how can we go ahead and accommodate foreign students?" asked a senior official in the HRD ministry. The ministry is yet to take up the ranking concerns with QS, but has held discussions with Times Higher Education, which conducts annual rankings of universities.
"We have held discussions with them to find out their parameters and we do not think that being placed in the rankings is very significant. We have a large mass to educate and our policies are in favour of supporting their needs," the official added.
India had recently announced a policy allowing foreign educational institutions to set up campuses in India without a local partner, even as officials remain skeptical of institutions coming to India due to the strict norms in the policy.
Last week, junior HRD minister Shashi Tharoor had said the ranking parameters used by Times Higher Education gave 30 per cent significance to research, another 30 per cent to citation work and 7.5 per cent to the number of foreign educational institutions in India.
"There is a strong need for industry to fund research programmes in the country and we are seeing more industry participation now. We are also trying to understand how the rankings are currently done. Also, a lot of research is on specific topics and areas. So the funding comes accordingly, whether it is from the private or public sector," said Prof P Mujumdar, dean (R&D) at IIT Bombay.
The government has now decided to roll out a new programme called Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan to improve the quality of higher studies in the country. It aims to limit the number of colleges affiliated to a university and set up more universities. The Rs 25,000-crore project will also route funding through state governments to institutions and make universities more accountable. "The point is to make the quality of education in the country better. From the ministry's point of view, we will be looking to spend more on improving quality of education in India," added the official.
