<p class="bodytext">The QS World University Rankings released last week show an improvement in the standing of Indian universities, but also indicate how much more the country’s universities have to do to become competitive on the global stage. Nine Indian universities have secured spots in the world's top 50 in the latest QS subject-wise rankings, but some leading institutions have seen a dip in their positions. The rankings show that 79 Indian universities have made it to the list, which is 10 more than last year. Indian universities are well represented in engineering (24 institutes), social sciences (20 institutes) and natural sciences (19 institutes). Indian institutions appeared 533 times in the rankings, reflecting a 25.7% increase. </p>.<p class="bodytext">There are over 1,100 universities and about 45 million students enrolled for higher education in India. The enrollment numbers have been increasing by 1-2 million every year. It is important that good education, if not the best, is provided to all these students and the country has not been able to ensure that. The progress has been slow. Considering the size of the population and the economy, national ambitions and personal aspirations of its students, India’s education sector should perform much better across areas – from student enrolment to quality of teaching and learning, from faculty strength and standards to research accomplishments. India has a range of higher education centres such as central universities, state universities, private universities, and specialised centres of education like the IITs and the IIMs. However, very few among them are of global standards.</p>.<p class="bodytext">There are several handicaps that colleges and universities, including the top-ranked ones, are suffering from. A key disadvantage is the absence of qualified faculties and suitable working conditions for the faculty – be it physical infrastructure, teaching and learning infrastructure or competitive remuneration. The bureaucratic culture in most of the universities and the political interference that they frequently witness would not provide ideal working conditions. Universities should be venues for free play of ideas. According to the QS survey, Indian universities could benefit from global collaborations that enable the “country’s scholars to access a wider range of academic debates and discoveries.” The government has also invited universities outside the country to set up campuses in India. Delays in improving educational standards in the country would mean denial of the best opportunities to students.</p>
<p class="bodytext">The QS World University Rankings released last week show an improvement in the standing of Indian universities, but also indicate how much more the country’s universities have to do to become competitive on the global stage. Nine Indian universities have secured spots in the world's top 50 in the latest QS subject-wise rankings, but some leading institutions have seen a dip in their positions. The rankings show that 79 Indian universities have made it to the list, which is 10 more than last year. Indian universities are well represented in engineering (24 institutes), social sciences (20 institutes) and natural sciences (19 institutes). Indian institutions appeared 533 times in the rankings, reflecting a 25.7% increase. </p>.<p class="bodytext">There are over 1,100 universities and about 45 million students enrolled for higher education in India. The enrollment numbers have been increasing by 1-2 million every year. It is important that good education, if not the best, is provided to all these students and the country has not been able to ensure that. The progress has been slow. Considering the size of the population and the economy, national ambitions and personal aspirations of its students, India’s education sector should perform much better across areas – from student enrolment to quality of teaching and learning, from faculty strength and standards to research accomplishments. India has a range of higher education centres such as central universities, state universities, private universities, and specialised centres of education like the IITs and the IIMs. However, very few among them are of global standards.</p>.<p class="bodytext">There are several handicaps that colleges and universities, including the top-ranked ones, are suffering from. A key disadvantage is the absence of qualified faculties and suitable working conditions for the faculty – be it physical infrastructure, teaching and learning infrastructure or competitive remuneration. The bureaucratic culture in most of the universities and the political interference that they frequently witness would not provide ideal working conditions. Universities should be venues for free play of ideas. According to the QS survey, Indian universities could benefit from global collaborations that enable the “country’s scholars to access a wider range of academic debates and discoveries.” The government has also invited universities outside the country to set up campuses in India. Delays in improving educational standards in the country would mean denial of the best opportunities to students.</p>
