NIRF rankings: lack of research, patents deny TS colleges top-100 slot

Lack of quality research and poor filing of patents seem to have scuttled Telangana engineering colleges’ chances of finding a place among the top-100 institutions in India.

In the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) this year, none of the State’s colleges figured in the top-100, though nine colleges made it within the 100-200 band. While Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University-Hyderabad and Osmania University applied in the capacity of a university instead of individual colleges, IIT-Hyderabad, NIT-Warangal and IIIT-Hyderabad are not really colleges.

JNTU-Hyderabad Vice-Chancellor A. Venugopal Reddy says one reason for the colleges missing the mark was that the top 50 places were grabbed by institutes like IITs and NITs that receive a huge amount of funding where a culture of research is established. They get a cream of students and faculty in the country, and are therefore at an advantageous position. Prof. Reddy also says the faculty members with doctorates further add advantage and the perception factor also helps them gain more marks than some good private colleges in Telangana. “It will take a couple more years before they crack the top-100 list,” he says.

TSCHE Chairman T. Papi Reddy argues that some private colleges have created an excellent infrastructure and eco-system over the years that will help them reap benefits soon. He feels the laboratories and infrastructure there are better than what is available in top institutes of the country, but they need to encourage research. Ultimately, it is the faculty and research that differentiates between best and mediocre.

The nine Telangana colleges on the NIRF top-200 list include CBIT, CVR College of Engineering, VNR VJIT, Vasavi, Gokaraju Rangaraju College, MREC for Women, Marri Lakshman Reddy Institute of Technology, MJCET and Vardhaman College. Some of the colleges retained their previous year’s place while a few others improved on their earlier position. The MLRIT was among the top 9 in Telangana, but went up to top 6 this year. MLRIT Secretary Rajasekhara Reddy says they concentrated on creating world-class infrastructure and the focus of late has been on human resources to be able to get into the top-100 league.

Cherabuddi Raghava, chairman of CVR College, says they are focussing on publications, consulting and patents to change the perception, a parameter which has actually been robbing the colleges of a chance to figure in top-100.