Among 11 new NITs, Goa ranks as the best in NIRF

PANAJI: It was a joyful moment for the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Goa, when the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) results for 2019 were declared. Despite constraints of infrastructure, NIT Goa rose to the 87th rank to feature among 100 best engineering institutes in India and emerge at the best spot among the 11 new NITs.



The 87th rank is a major gain for the NIT not only among its peers, but individually as well, as it jumped to this spot from its previous 137 rank.

NIT Goa was established only in 2010 and is operating from its temporary campus at Goa Engineering College at Farmagudi as work on its permanent infrastructure at Cuncolim has only just begun. Yet, this did not stop NIT director Gopal Mugeraya and his team from vying for a spot in the Union human resource development ministry’s ranking.

“We are not operating from our permanent campus. And in the ranking 15% marks go to infrastructure. To score in the rest of the 85% component and emerge among the 100 best is a great achievement. This, when more than 4,000 engineering institutes participated. With a staff of just 34 we could achieve all this,” said Mugeraya.

Mugeraya said that many NITs withdrew from applying for the ranking because they would lose out on the infrastructure count. But it is the confidence in what the institute’s faculty have to offer that led NIT Goa to enter the race, he said. “We have already published five patents,” said Mugeraya.

With an overall score of 37.06 out of 100, NIT Goa has earned the highest in the criteria of teaching, learning and resources (59.23); graduation outcome (50.17); and outreach and inclusivity (48.37).

NIT Goa, despite its infrastructure constraints, has expanded to offer postgraduate and PhD programme. The institute was also the first among the 11 new NITs, where five graduated with a doctorate within seven years of the institute being set up.