After NIRF rankings slide, city institutes plan better efforts

PUNE: Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER, Pune), Fergusson College, and College of Engineering Pune Technical University (CoEPTU) have all slipped in their rankings in the National Institutional Ranking Framework 2023 declared on Monday.
SPPU slipped from the 12th position to the 19th position in the university rankings and from 25th to 35th in the overall list. Symbiosis International, Defence Institute of Advanced Technology, and D Y Patil Vidyapeeth improved their rankings or maintained them in the respective categories.

These rankings are important for an informed choice instead of relying on hearsay or traditional metrics that can be misleading for students.
A closer look at the overall ranking shows that most institutes in the city received the lowest marks in the peer perception factor. The score is calculated through a survey of a large category of employers, professionals from reputed organizations and educators to ascertain their preferences for graduates from different institutions.
These institutions also fared poorly in research and professional practice which includes marks for publications, quality of publications, patents published and granted, and footprint of projects, professional practice, and executive development programmes.
Officials from CoEP Technological University, which stood 73rd among engineering colleges with a total score of 46.9 as opposed to last year’s 72nd with a score of 44.3, said the increasing number of institutes participating every year has led to a fall in the ranks despite the increase in marks.
“We have scored better in parameters like teaching, learning & resources, graduation outcomes, outreach and inclusivity. But, we slipped in peer perception. We severely lagged behind in research and professional practice and perception too. Fewer full-time doctoral scholars, and more contractual faculty members unable to fetch research grants, could be the other reasons,” Sudhir Agashe, acting vice-chancellor, said.
Vidya Yeravdekar, pro-chancellor of Symbiosis International, said that they have maintained or bettered their scores in a pool which has IITs and IIMs.
“We will try to improve our ranking. The research and professional practice parameter considers patents and publications in STEM course. We have a good hold on the humanities side and we will focus on the STEM discipline. It will reflect in the score the next time,” Yeravdekar added.
Sharad Kunte, chairman of the governing body and council of Deccan Education Society that runs Fergusson College, attributed their slip to a lack of enough teachers.
D Y Patil Vidyapeeth was the only institute from Pune that maintained its third position in the dental institutes category, and bettered its rank in the medical category from 17 last year to 15, this year.
Vice-chancellor N J Pawar said the competition is getting fiercer, and the marking is relative. “One parameter in the sub-category carried 15 marks for online classes. As a medical university, everything is face-to face. We have done well or maintained the score in the number and quality of publications, but we need to do better in the patents and peer perception categories.”
IISER Pune ranked 34 in the overall category and 27 in the research category sliding from 26 and 17, respectively. A statement said its overall score could have led to a dip in the rank. The other contributors include fewer PhD students and a lower score on perception.
Karbhari Kale, acting vice-chancellor of SPPU, said their rank had slipped because there were 8,500 participants this year, up from 3,500 last year, and a lack of faculty members.