Institutes want superior NIRF Ranking and celebrate their triumph, particularly over their competitors. They might still eat a bitter pill or place a stone on their hearts of neighbour’s NAAC ‘A+’ grade but surely NOT a better NIRF ‘Rank’. Because, people perceive that ‘National Ranking’ is a better measure of institute’s credibility. People can easily relate and compare. People have also become smart in trashing and hating various other ranking given by unscrupulous private award/ranking shops which take sponsorship money to bestow a rank of institut’s choice.
If your institute is far too low down in the NIRF rank and further slipping or has reduced to a complete washout (3771 institutes competing and 20% adding annually), you have no one but yourself to blame for the poor showing. Nonetheless, a craving by the Founders for breaking into the top 100 list won’t simply die. So, what would you do? Here is a crux;
Think long-term and Focus in the area you can score
1. The most crucial amongst 5 criteria are the two criteria of (a) Teaching and learning resources (b) Research and Professional practice. Together, these two metrics carry 60% of the total weightage. These are also the metrics which by specific actions you can enhance your score . For example, you as Management and faculty can build your FSR as close as possible to the max FSR 1:15, enrol faculty having PhD with significant experience, and enhance capital expenses in improving students support system. As regards research, it is possible to have faculty write quality papers, enhance citations, get funded projects and get IPR/patents awarded.
2. After a deep study, you will realise that as a private university/college, due to constraints of funds, salary, admissions, placements etc. the scope of enhancement of score is much less in the remaining 3 parameters namely; GO, Outreach and Perception, and what you can do, would be something, which other private institutes would be able to do as well. The most beneficiaries of these 3 criteria are the Institutes of National Importance, Central and State universities (not being further discussed for the sake of brevity).
3. As a University, I recommend that you should Register separately for the category as well as domain specific entry, a domain School that stands a best chance for a superior Rank. It also puts your School in the list of national ranking. So, even if you are trailing in the Overall Category (institutes over 1000 students) or University Category, you will still have something to blow your trumpet in one or two of the 8 domain categories.
4. With NIRF data of 3 years hosted on instiute’s website and other multi-validation and verification checks in place, be always correct in data submission. If you make mistake, send a correction before Ranking results are announced.
*if you further need clarity to build capacity reach out to us 1:1 on WhatsApp.
-Prof JR Sharma.
