A large number of media publications — dailies and periodicals — rate and rank education institutions under several parameters and in various categories. Yet all of them are either general interest publications or business magazines which regard this exercise primarily as an annual revenue generation initiative.
But EducationWorld is a focused education news and features magazine whose prime intent is to reform and rejuvenate India’s fast obsolescing education system. Therefore logically, our elaborate league tables rating and ranking education institutions are more purposive and credible. We are better aware that choosing the aptitudinally most suitable college and university may well be the most important decision of a young person’s life.
To conduct this national institution evaluation exercise, we have partnered with our trusted ally, the highly-reputed Delhi-based market research and opinion polls company, Centre for Forecasting & Research Pvt. Ltd (C fore, estb.2000). Over 100 field personnel of C fore interviewed 2,960 faculty and 3,707 senior students in higher education countrywide, and 446 industry representatives and persuaded them to rate India’s most reputed Arts, Science and Commerce and Private Engineering Colleges on six-nine parameters of collegiate education. Scores awarded under each parameter by these knowledgeable sample respondents were totalled to rank colleges in each category.
Although considerable time and money is spent by all publications employing different methodologies to rate and rank education institutions to enable school-leavers and parents to shortlist suitable colleges, few are satisfied with ranking outcomes. Some believe that perceptual rankings are not reliable. But alternative methodologies are worse.
For instance, NAAC employs a direct audit methodology to award its gradings. Not only is this a very expensive proposition, but as a recent scandal has proved, audit teams are susceptible to the blandishments of assessee institutions. Likewise, the NIRF rankings of the Union education ministry which relies on data submitted by institutions themselves have proved absurd with excellent universities such as BITS-Pilani ranked way below obscure provincial institutions.
In the circumstances, our methodology which relies on the opinions of knowledgeable respondents with some reliance on the Scopus Index of published papers is the best. But as we routinely caution parents and students, even our league tables are for shortlisting the most suitable higher education institutions. The shortlisted ones require further detailed investigation.
With this cautionary advice, in this issue we present the EW league table of India’s Top 500 Arts, Science and Commerce, and Private Engineering Colleges. Plus of course, our other columns and unmatched news reports and important book reviews. In the next issue, we will present the EWIHER league tables of the country’s best universities followed by a grand event to felicitate and celebrate them. For us, the condition and progress of higher education institutions is serious business.