THE INDIAN POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. CHALLENGING THE SPECIAL MARRIAGE ACT, 1954

THE CONTEXT: Recently, the Supreme Court dismissed a writ petition challenging provisions of the Special Marriage Act (SMA), 1954 requiring couples to give a notice declaring their intent to marry 30 days before their marriage.
THE EXPLANATION:
• The Supreme Court dismissed a writ petition challenging the Constitutional validity of certain provisions of the SMA under which couples seek refuge for inter-faith and inter-caste marriages.
• The writ petition has called these provisions violative of the right to privacy guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution as they require couples to give a notice of 30 days before the date of marriage inviting objections from the public.
• The writ petition has also said that the provisions contravene Article 14 on prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste and sex as well as Article 15 on right to equality as these requirements are absent in personal laws.
• Another writ petition in Nandini Praveen vs Union of India & Others filed on similar grounds was admitted by the Supreme Court in 2020 and the government’s reply to is awaited.

What are the provisions that have been challenged?
• Section 5 of the SMA requires couples getting married under it to give a notice to the Marriage Officer 30 days before the date of marriage.
• Section 6 requires such a notice to be then entered into the Marriage Notice Book maintained by the Marriage Officer, which can be inspected by “any person desirous of inspecting the same”.
• These notices have to be also affixed at a conspicuous place in the office of the Marriage Officer so that anyone can raise an objection to the marriage.
• Section 7 provides the process for making an objection such as if either party has a living spouse, is incapable of giving consent due to “unsoundness of mind” or is suffering from mental disorder resulting in the person being unfit for marriage or procreation.
• Section 8 specifies the inquiry procedure to be followed after an objection has been submitted.

What is the Special Marriage Act?
• A marriage under the Special Marriage Act, 1954 allows people from two different religious backgrounds to come together in the bond of marriage.
• The Special Marriage Act, 1954 lays down the procedure for both solemnization and registration of marriage, where either of the husband or wife or both are not Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, or Sikhs.
• According to this Act, the couples have to serve a notice with the relevant documents to the Marriage Officer 30 days before the intended date of the marriage.

Registration process Special Marriage Act:
• Both parties are required to be present after the submission of documents for issuance of public notice inviting objections.
• Registration is done 30 days after the date of notice after deciding any objection that may have been received during that period by the SDM.
• Both parties along with three witnesses are required to be present on the date of registration.

2. LIFETIME PERKS FOR FORMER CJIS, SC JUDGES

THE CONTEXT: The Centre on amended service rules for Supreme Court judges by making additional post-retirement allowances, including a rent-free Type-VII accommodation in Delhi for a retired Chief Justice of India (CJI) for six months after demitting office and protocol courtesies at airports for SC judges.
THE EXPLANATION:
• The benefits of the amended rules will be extended to all living former CJIs and retired Supreme Court judges. As per the latest changes in the rules, a retired chief justice of India will also be entitled to a security cover round-the-clock at their residence in addition to a 24X7 personal security guard for a period of five years from the date of retirement.
• A retired Supreme Court judge will be entitled to 24X7 security cover at his or her residence in addition to a round-the-clock personal security guard for a period of three years from the date of retirement. If a retired CJI or a retired judge of the top court is already provided a “higher grade” security on the basis of threat perception, “the higher grade security already provided shall continue”.
• A retired CJI will be entitled to a rent-free Type-VII accommodation in Delhi (other than the designated official residence) for a period of six months from the date of retirement. Type VII accommodation is usually provided to sitting MPs who have been former Union ministers. The accommodation facility was extended to retired CJIs earlier this month.
• A retired judge of the Supreme Court will get a domestic help and a chauffeur for lifetime from the day of retirement. The ceremonial lounge facility at airports extended to retired CJI and retired Supreme Court judges announced earlier this month would also continue.
• Retired chief justices of the high courts were also extended the VIP lounge facility by amending the High Court Judges Rules. A retired CJI or a retired Supreme Court judge will be entitled to a residential telephone “free of cost” and reimbursement of telephone call charges of residential telephone or mobile phone or broadband or mobile data or data card not exceeding Rs 4,200 per month, plus taxes.
• “The post-retirement benefits under this rule shall be admissible to the retired Chief Justice (of India) or the retired Judge (of SC) if no such facilities are availed from any High Court or from any other government body where the retired Chief Justice or a retired Judge has taken up any assignment after retirement,” the notification explained. The expenditure on domestic help, chauffeur, secretarial assistant and telephone reimbursement will be borne largely by the Supreme Court or a high court establishment.
• Till recently, retired CJI and top court judges were given monthly monetary benefits to hire guards, domestic helps and chauffeurs. The amount given would be discontinued, a functionary said. While a retired CJI was entitled for Rs 70,000 per month for the purpose, retired Supreme Court judges were provided Rs 39,000 per month. On August 23, the government had amended the Supreme Court Judges Rules to provide chief justices of India rent-free accommodation for six months after demitting office and round-the-clock security for one year upon superannuation to CJIs and retired Supreme Court judges.
• For one year after retirement, CJI and Supreme Court judges were also given chauffeur facility and secretarial assistant. The sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court is 34 judges and on an average, three retire annually, a functionary pointed out.

3. KERALA PASSES BILL ON LOK AYUKTA

THE CONTEXT: Recently Kerala Assembly passed the Kerala Lok Ayukta (Amendment) Bill.
THE EXPLANATION:
• The amendments were related to the competent authority to consider Lok Ayukta recommendations.
• In the case of any unfavourable decision from the Lok Ayukta against the Chief Minister, the competent authority will now be the Legislative Assembly instead of the Governor in the existing Act.

WHAT IS LOKAYUKTA?
• The Lokayukta is an authority at state level which deals with corruption and mal-admistration complaints made by the general public.
• This authority is constituted for a quicker redressal of public grievances.
• The concept of Lokayukta traces back to the ombudsman in Scandinavian countries.
• The Lokayukta is put into power when the Lokayukta act is passed in the state and works for the State governments and addresses the complaints of the people living in the state.
• The complaints can be against the integrity and efficiency of the government or its administration which includes the people working in the government sector.
• The complaints can also be regarding any corruption faced by the people from the government administration.
• To address these serious issues a well-qualified and reputed person, generally a former high court chief justice or a former Supreme Court judge, is appointed as the Lokayukta and this person once appointed cannot be dismissed or transferred by the government.
• The creation of Lokpal at the centre and Lokayukta at the state level was suggested by the Administrative Reforms commission in the year 1966 after which the first Lokpal act was passed in the year 1971 in the state of Maharashtra.
• The Lokayukta has a fixed tenure and has to make sure to perform the given functions independently and impartially.
• The general public can directly approach this lokayukta with complaints against corruption, nepotism or defects in administration.

4. THE NCRB’S ‘CRIME IN INDIA’ REPORT

THE CONTEXT: A new edition of ‘Crime in India’, the annual report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), was released recently, for crime-related statistics in 2021.
THE EXPLANATION:
• NCRB reports have been a valuable compilation of statistics over the years on offences ranging from crimes against women to economic and financial crimes.
• Overall, 2021 saw a 7.6 per cent decline in the number of crimes registered, as compared to 2020.
• The crime rate per lakh population declined from 487.8 in 2020 to 445.9 in 2021.

Who publishes the NCRB report?
• The NCRB was established in January 1986 with the aim of establishing a body to compile and keep records of data on crime.
• It functions under the Union Home Ministry.
Apart from publishing annual reports, its functions include:
• collection, coordination and exchange of information on inter-state and international criminals to the respective states.
• NCRB also acts as a “national warehouse” for the fingerprint records of Indian and foreign criminals, and assists in locating interstate criminals through fingerprint search.

Collection of information
• The NCRB report contains data received from the 36 states and Union Territories across the country.
• Similar data is furnished for 53 metropolitan cities, or those having a population of more than 10 lakh as per the 2011 census, by respective state-level crime records bureaus.
• This information is entered by state/UT police at the police station/ district level, and is then validated further at the district level, then the state level, and finally by the NCRB.

Limitations of NCRB report
• Since the publication caters to the ‘Principal Offence Rule’ for classification of crime, the actual count of each crime head may be under reported.
• The Principal Offence Rule states that in a case where multiple offences are registered, only the “most heinous crime”, carrying the most stringent punishment, will be considered when counting.
• For example, ‘Murder with Rape’ is accounted as ‘Murder’, leading to undercounting of the crime of rape.Since the report only compiles data that are submitted at the local level, inefficiencies or gaps in data at that level have an impact. Vacancies or a shortage of police officers at the local level may hinder the collection of data.
• The data record the incidence of registered crime rather than of actual crime.So, when reported crimes against women in Delhi rose significantly in the aftermath of the 2012 bus gangrape case, it may have been a reflection of increased awareness about the need for registering crimes, both among those affected and the police, rather than an actual increase in the incidence of crime against women.
• ‘Rise in crime’ and ‘increase in registration of crime by police’ are clearly two different things, a fact which requires better understanding,.
• Since actual numbers will be mostly higher for the bigger states, a “crime rate” is calculated per unit of population.But again, the data used at present for determining the total population is old — from the 2011 Census.

THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

5. SOLOMON ISLANDS SUSPENDS ALL VISITS FROM FOREIGN NAVIES

THE CONTEXT: Recently,Solomon Islands has suspended visits from all foreign Navies, citing a need to review approval processes after a U.S. Coast Guard ship was unable to refuel at its port.
THE EXPLANATION:
The decision comes amid concerns over:
• the Solomons’ growing ties with China in recent years,
• switching diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 2019
• signing a security pact with the Asian power in April.
• Western governments are wary that the islands could provide China with a military foothold in a strategically important region.

About Solomon Islands
• Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and northwest of Vanuatu.
• Its capital, Honiara, is located on the largest island, Guadalcanal.
• The country takes its name from the Solomon Islands archipelago, which is a collection of Melanesian islands that also includes the North Solomon Islands (a part of Papua New Guinea), but excludes outlying islands, such as the Santa Cruz Islands and Rennell and Bellona.
• In 1568, the Spanish navigator Álvaro de Mendaña was the first European to visit them.
• During World War II, the Solomon Islands campaign (1942–1945) saw fierce fighting between the United States, British Commonwealth forces and the Empire of Japan, including the Battle of Guadalcanal.
• The official name of the then-British administration was changed from the “British Solomon Islands Protectorate” to “The Solomon Islands” in 1975, and self-government was achieved the following year.
• At independence, Solomon Islands became a constitutional monarchy.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS

6. TOPS INFLATION CHARTS AT 8.32%

THE CONTEXT: Recently, the headline inflation measured by the Consumer Price Index has averaged 6.8% in the first seven months of 2022.
THE EXPLANATION:
There are wide disparities in the pace of price rise experienced by consumers across the country, with a dozen States clocking an average inflation of less than 6% and another 12 States averaging more than 7% through 2022 so far.
• While headline inflation measured by the Consumer Price Index has averaged 6.8% in the first seven months of 2022, consumers in Telangana, West Bengal and Sikkim faced the steepest spike in prices, with their combined retail inflation for rural and urban areas averaging 8.32%, 8.06%, and 8.01%, respectively.
• As many as 14 States, along with the erstwhile State of Jammu & Kashmir, have witnessed price rise higher than the national average through 2022.
• Headline inflation is the raw inflation figure reported through the Consumer Price Index (CPI) that is released monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The CPI calculates the cost to purchase a fixed basket of goods to determine how much inflation is occurring in the broad economy.

Some of the other major States where inflation has stayed sharply elevated include
• Maharashtra and Haryana (7.7%),
• Madhya Pradesh (7.52%),
• Assam (7.37%),
• Uttar Pradesh (7.27%),
• Gujarat and J&K (7.2%),
• Rajasthan (7.1%).

Retail prices have been rising at less than 6% in States such as:
• Kerala (4.8%),
• Tamil Nadu (5.01%),
• Punjab (5.35%),
• Delhi (5.56%),
• Karnataka (5.84%).
Smaller States such as Manipur, Goa and Meghalaya have had an average inflation of less than 4% through this period, at 1.07%, 3.66%, and 3.84%, respectively.
The variation in the States’ inflation rates is mainly on account of two factors:
One is food prices, where non-producing States have higher inflation as transport prices get added.
Second is that some States lowered fuel prices while others didn’t, which also made a difference.
Moreover, States that have more rural areas than urban areas face a higher inflation as the rural segment of the Consumer Price Index has a higher weightage for food costs.

THE PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

7. FRUIT FLY: NOVEL METHOD TO STUDY NUCLEAR MATRIX

THE CONTEXT: Recently, a group of researchers using a novel method, have established a way of studying the nuclear matrix of the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) without removing the nucleus from the embryo.
THE EXPLANATION:
What is the nuclear matrix?
• Every cell that makes up an organism contains a copy of its genome.
• This genome is packaged in special ways with the help of a structure known as the nuclear matrix.
• The nuclear matrix gives an organisation and architecture to the nucleus.The nuclear matrix is like a scaffolding.
• Using biochemical means, if the nucleus is taken out and treated with an enzyme that digests all the DNA, then washed with a solution of high salt concentration so that viable DNA proteins or protein-protein interactions are removed, what is then left is a fibrous meshwork of proteins called the nuclear matrix.
• A familiar figure, the nuclear matrix of fruit flies, for instance, has been studied for many years, mainly by isolating it in nuclei that have been taken out from fruit fly embryos.
• This allows comparative study of nuclear matrix in different cells within the embryo, giving a boost for fruit fly genetics.

NuMat preparation
• The researchers collect embryos which are between zero and 16 hours old.
• They make, for the first time, the in situ nuclear matrix preparation using this entire collection of embryos.
• Some are in very early developmental stages, where they are made up of nuclei only, or just making a mono layer of nuclei across the embryos or have gone through differentiation.The array is made available in one preparation.

1. Fix administration READ MORE
2. Build integral human world order for peace READ MORE
3. Is a Moral Response to War Possible Today? READ MORE

1. How the Ice Ages spurred the evolution of New Zealand’s weird and wiry native plants READ MORE
2. A South Asian climate plan READ MORE
3. Is it climate crisis that fuelled flooding in Pakistan? READ MORE

1. How financial access impacts women’s decision-making role in households READ MORE
2. Suicides by the poor: Lakhs of deserving destitute are denied even their doles READ MORE
3. Despite ‘Solutions’, Anaemia Remains an Unsolved Problem in India READ MORE

1. SC’s decision on Pegasus raises troubling questions READ MORE
2. On Pegasus, Supreme Court panel failed its mandate, missed an opportunity READ MORE
3. Is democracy really in danger? READ MORE
4. Politics isn’t just about winning polls READ MORE
5. Vulnerable to Misuse by Police, the New Criminal Identification Act Can Create a Surveillance State READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Explained | Challenging the Special Marriage Act, 1954 READ MORE
2. Solomon Islands suspends all naval visits READ MORE
3. Delhi Police first force to make collection of forensic evidence mandatory READ MORE
4. Abhijit Sen: An advocate of MSP, public distribution system READ MORE
5. La Ninã conditions enter 3rd year, 6th time since 1950 READ MORE
6. Five-judge Supreme Court Bench to hear EWS quota petitions on September 13 READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. History, Southside: Medieval India’s queens: Were they feminist icons? Not Quite READ MORE
2. How the Ice Ages spurred the evolution of New Zealand’s weird and wiry native plants READ MORE
3. How financial access impacts women’s decision-making role in households READ MORE
4. Suicides by the poor: Lakhs of deserving destitute are denied even their doles READ MORE

 GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. SC’s decision on Pegasus raises troubling questions READ MORE
2. On Pegasus, Supreme Court panel failed its mandate, missed an opportunity READ MORE
3. Is democracy really in danger? READ MORE
4. Politics isn’t just about winning polls READ MORE
5. Vulnerable to Misuse by Police, the New Criminal Identification Act Can Create a Surveillance State READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Despite ‘Solutions’, Anaemia Remains an Unsolved Problem in India READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. The many ways of helping Sri Lanka: There is a strong case for greater Indian engagement, especially in certain sectors READ MORE
2. How to end the China dispute READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. How is Russian economy doing under western sanctions? READ MORE
2. Low growth, inequality a trigger for freebies READ MORE
3. ‘Freebie’ row: Six charts explain why states must be allowed to make their own decisions on welfare READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. A South Asian climate plan READ MORE
2. Is it climate crisis that fuelled flooding in Pakistan? READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. Floods and foes: India and Pakistan are best placed to help each other during natural disasters READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Let’s welcome Ganesh, the epitome of wisdom READ MORE
2. Fix administration READ MORE
3. Build integral human world order for peace READ MORE
4. Is a Moral Response to War Possible Today? READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘Some Indian states, heavily burdened with high fiscal deficit and debt levels, have performing better on developmental outcomes’. In the light of the statement discuss whether the states should be allowed to make their own decisions on welfare and freebies?
2. How far do you agree with this view that the New Criminal Identification Act will Create a Surveillance State? Analyse your view.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.
• Frosty and droughty climates posed direct physiological challenges to plants, but they also left them more exposed to browsing; they thus developed anti-browsing defences to survive.
• While the government continues to promote it as a tool to expedite investigations, the reality is that it is another tool at the disposal of the state to misuse the criminal justice system to harass whom it deems as dissenters.
• Political proposals, encapsulating ideas and projects, compete with one another. Increased competition at once reflects and gives rise to greater diversity.
• The need of the hour is a serious endeavour on the part of the entire political class to formulate and execute a slew of administrative reforms, to bring in structural changes.
• The menace of bonded and child labour still rears its ugly head. The daily workers’ dire straits were best manifested during the Covid-induced lockdown when the sudden loss of jobs exposed their vulnerability and near-zero social security.
• Several issues regarding the spyware case need to be addressed, including why the SC sealed the report and why the State chose not to cooperate during the committee’s pursuit of the truth. As a matter of public interest, accountability and action must be non-negotiable.
• Governments need to initiate deep rooted reforms on several fronts to curb the ballooning subsidy bill.

50-WORD TALK

• India’s caution on resumption of trade with Pakistan cannot be faulted. Flood-hit Pakistan’s devastated economy stands to gain more by trading directly with India. But Islamabad’s obsession with Kashmir-centric politics and thoughtless diplomatic muscle-flexing has only ended up hurting itself. A U-turn on trade can rekindle hope for the relationship.
• Jharkhand governor Ramesh Bais sitting on Election Commission’s recommendation in CM Hemant Soren’s mining lease case is bewildering. Raj Bhawan seems to be encouraging political instability by its inaction. President Droupadi Murmu must direct the governor to discharge his constitutional duties. And remind him that his conduct should be non-partisan.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

[WpProQuiz 321]

THE CONTEXT: Recently, the Ministry of Education released the 7th Edition of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) Rankings 2022. The following article intends to evaluate the impacts of NIRF rankings on learning outcomes.

NIRF RANKINGS: KEY ASPECTS

• The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) has been launched by the Ministry of Human Resource Development on September 29th, 2015.
• This framework outlines a methodology to rank institutions across the country covering about 3500 educational institutes in India. The methodology draws from the overall recommendations to identify the broad parameters for ranking various universities and institutions.
• NIRF India Ranking 2022 has been announced for 11 categories. This includes overall, university, management, college, pharmacy, medical, engineering, architecture, ARIIA (Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements), law and research institutions.
• The subjectivity in the ranking methodology developed by QS World University Rankings and the Times Higher Education World University Ranking led India to start its own ranking system for Indian HEIs on the line of Shanghai Rankings. The long-term plan of NIRF is to make it an international league table.
• More than 7,000 institutes participated in NIRF Rankings for 2022.

The ranking framework judges institutions under five broad generic groups of parameters of

• Teaching, Learning and Resources (TLR),
• Research and Professional Practice (RP),
• Graduation Outcomes (GO),
• Outreach and Inclusivity (OI),
• Perception (PR).

Ranks are assigned based on the total sum of marks assigned for each of these five broad groups of parameters.

ANALYZING IMPACTS OF RANKINGS ON LEARNING OUTCOMES

There is a new era in higher education, characterized by global competition, in which university ranking systems have assumed importance. Their emergence, often controversial and subject to considerable debate, has been met with a lot of scepticism, some enthusiasm and an institutional unease. Regardless, ranking systems are here to stay and it is important to assess their effect on the higher education sector and its stakeholders.

PRESENT STATUS

There are 864 Universities and 11669 Institutions in India but only 24 secured their places in the top 1000 list released by QS world university ranking.

• Even after 70 years of independence, India does not have even one world-class multidisciplinary research university. And just one university IISc Bangalore was ranked in the Top 500 of Global Rankings.
• If we talk about the top 100, 33 Institutes were from the USA, 15 from the UK, 7 from Germany, 6 from China and 5 from Japan.

Reasons for the worst condition of Indian Institutions

• Even after liberalisation in the 1990s, there was no liberation of higher education from government control.
• People complained about the lack of autonomy and bureaucratic interference.
• There were some 17 bodies controlling each and every realm of higher education.
• The country was incapable of producing many things it desired. We could not produce the necessary defence equipments.
• Half of India’s students were pursuing courses in the liberal arts and sciences.

WHY DO WE NEED NIRF?

• The importance of a national ranking system is that it helps students choose the best university. A national ranking ensures that all higher educational institutes strive hard to improve their rankings.
• It also ensures that there is no complacency in the institutes and they work harder each year to provide quality education to students.
• Educationists have always voiced their concern about the absence of Indian universities, technology and management institutes from global rankings and the importance of these rankings.
• Thus, a national ranking framework ensures that universities keep working hard to ensure that they are providing scholastic education, at par with international standards.

NIRF: THE ASSESSMENT

Detailed assessment mechanism:

• Teaching and Learning Resources (TLR): This parameter deals with the basic activities related to any place of learning. It deals with the teaching and learning resources available to the institute and how they are being utilized.

• Research and Professional Practice (RP): This parameter measures the quality of research being carried out, and the scholarships provided to students.

• Graduation Outcome (GO): This parameter judges the ultimate goal of students, graduation.

o   Combined Metric for Placement, Higher Studies, and Entrepreneurship (GPHE): It is calculated based on the percentage of graduating students placed through campus placement over the past three years and the number of sustained start-ups or entrepreneurial adventures over the past five years.

o   Metric for University Examinations (GUE): This is the number of students as a fraction of the approved intake who have passed the university exam within the stipulated time for the course they had enrolled in.

o   Median Salary(GMS): It is the median salary of graduates who have passed from the institution.

o   Metric for Number of PhD Students Graduated (GPHD): It is the average number of PhD students who have graduated over the past three years.

• Outreach and Inclusivity (OI): This is the parameter that deals with the representation of women, marginalized and minorities in the institution.

• Perception (PR): This parameter judges the overall perception of the institute by industry, peers and researchers. It is judged based on the following sub-parameters:

• A ranking is the best form of publicity and comparison. It shows that your institute is better than the rest, it shows that you provide quality education and ensures that the general public views your institute with trust.
• When students research colleges and universities, one parameter that they pay the most attention to is the ranking of the institute. Choosing the right educational institute is one of the most important and daunting tasks in a student’s life. A higher ranking ensures that students and their parents/guardians can place their trust in your institute.
• A better ranking gives you a better reputation by evaluating your institute better than the others and it is also proof that the general public likes and trusts the institute. A ranking is a testimonial that your institute has worked on every parameter and provided the best resources, infrastructure and facilities to the students.

THE METHODOLOGY: PLACING VALUE ON INTEGRITY

• Institutions, universities and colleges are supposed to register and upload information according to the guidelines issued by the NIFR. They also have to upload the information submitted to NIRF on their own site for a period of three years. As a step towards encouraging transparency, the NIFR is empowered to do random and surprise audits on the data submitted by institutes. If the submitted data are inconsistent with the findings, the institute could be barred from participating in the ranking survey for the next two years.
• While the ranking depends heavily on self-declaration, asking institutes to publish data on their own site is a simple way of ensuring transparency and integrity of information.

NIRF RANKINGS: CRITICAL ANALYSIS

While it is laudable that the government is promoting a benchmark mostly based on objective indicators, it is a matter of concern that this does not serve the purpose of improving the standards of learning.  The zeal to tick the right boxes can give results that do not conform to the ground reality, raising questions about the fairness and reliability of the assessment parameters.

IMPACT ON STUDENT ENROLMENT

• The impact of the NIRF rankings on improving students’ enrolment, is considered limited. That largely depends on the reputation, fee structure, infrastructural facilities, location and research output.
• According to the All-India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE), India’s GER was 27.4 per cent for 2017-18.
• This, in effect, means out of the total population in the age group of 18-23 in India, 27.4 per cent attend college and university.

SCOPE OF ATTRACTING FOREIGN STUDENTS

• India having a global ranking system of its own may be a project in the making, but eventually, quality and vastly improved standards are what will bring international students and faculty to the country, not hollow validation based on scores that project a distorted image.

NEED FOR RESEARCH DRIVEN INSTITUTES

• The industry connection will happen when research leads to better outcomes. That requires liberal funding for institutions that show promise, whether or not they figure high on rankings, putting an end to the meaningless exercise of churning out worthless, amateurish research papers just to get additional credit or help an individual acquire a degree.
• Although India has seen an exponential increase in the number of scientific publications over the last 10 years and is in the third position globally after China and the US, the conversion rates of these patents into working models are far less than desired.
• Although India is a hub of immense economic activity, its efforts to boost R&D and innovation are lagging. This can also be seen through the patenting activity in the country.
• India has been ranked 40th out of 53 countries on the Global Intellectual Property Index. Patenting activity is an indicator of innovation and India has seen an infinitesimally small rise over the years in the patent filing.

DEFINING PURPOSE

• The idea behind rankings should be to inform decisions, not drive admissions. Thus, even though the Gross Enrolment Ration (GER) could have spiked in recent times, the quality and quantity of worthy choices before students aren’t enough to be celebrated.
• As the NIRF evolves and involves more institutions, guidance from foreign and Indian experts should be of immense help, besides an honest review of its performance, the shortcomings and the additional parameters it needs to incorporate, like the financial health and size of the institution. The success of the endeavor lies in how beneficial it can be for students.

Tyranny of Geography

• There is discrimination present even in the top-rated universities and colleges in India. For example, certain courses in certain IITs are prefer it over the others. Also, the notion of explicit advantage of students belonging to tier one cities with regard to language and technological upgrade nations is visible clearly in such eminent institutes which somehow overlooks the overall quality of education in other institutes.

Global Comparisons

• Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) a leading global career and education network for ambitious professionals looking to further their personal and professional development.
• QS develops and successfully implements methods of comparative data collection and analysis used to highlight institutions’ strengths.
• The ‘QS World University Rankings’ is an annual publication of university rankings which comprises the global overall and subject rankings.

Six parameters and their weightage for the evaluation:

• Academic Reputation (40%)
• Employer Reputation (10%)
• Faculty/Student Ratio (20%)
• Citations per faculty (20%)
• International Faculty Ratio (5%)
• International Student Ratio (5%)

National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF): The ranking framework judges institutions under five broad generic groups of parameters of

• Teaching, Learning and Resources (TLR),
• Research and Professional Practice (RP),
• Graduation Outcomes (GO),
• Outreach and Inclusivity (OI),
• Perception (PR).

Ranks are assigned based on the total sum of marks assigned for each of these five broad groups of parameters.

Thus, clearly the NIRF is losing out on global standards like employment generation and foreign students.

THE WAY FORWARD:

• The NEP (National Education Policy) notes that quality education would enable us to occupy the “global stage” and cites.
• NEP also calls for attention to “local and global needs of the country”. It seeks the making of a truly global citizen through “Global Citizenship Education”. NEP calls for the use of global best practices for standard setting. India must thus, actualize best pedagogic practices to culminate patents into innovations.
• For multidisciplinary education and research universities (MERU), the NEP calls for the highest global standards. In its recognition of the need to give a global competitive edge to the students, the policy (which is not without its problems and critiques) offers us a way of thinking about Flagship Universities as well.
• To spur hundreds of universities and thousands of colleges to improve their level of excellence: give all higher education institutions complete autonomy. Let them all compete and get better. In tandem with increased transparency and accountability on outcomes, all the stakeholders’ students, industry, society and nation will benefit.

THE CONCLUSION: India has historically been the land of great universities and institutes which have given the world an unprecedented volume of wisdom and innovations. A similar perception needs to be created in present times. The advantage of improving our brand perception is that we get the added advantage of word-of-mouth advertising. It means that the general public views our institute in high regard and talks about it in the same manner. Thus, more people get to know and discuss about your institute, without any expenditure on advertising and marketing. It is also the most widespread and fast means of publicity.  Hence, a good NIRF ranking has multiple advantages for any institute if projected and utilised in a goal driven manner. It is in our best interest that we strive for a better rank every time and establish your institute in the top echelons of higher education.

QUESTIONS TO PONDER

• “The idea behind rankings should be to inform decisions, not drive admissions.” Examine critically in the light of the recently released National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).
• “There are many advantages of improving the brand perception of our institutes by means of better performance in competitive rankings.” Do you agree? Give valid arguments in support of your views.