Union Education Minister Releases India Rankings 2024, Highlights Key Additions to NIRF Framework

New Delhi: Union Minister for Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, today unveiled the India Rankings 2024, an initiative under the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) established by the Ministry of Education in 2015. The event, held in New Delhi, was attended by prominent figures including Secretary of Higher Education, K. Sanjay Murthy, UGC Chairman Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar, AICTE Chairman Prof. T.G. Sitharam, and other leading academicians and heads of institutions.

In his address, Pradhan emphasized the significance of rankings, ratings, and accreditation as recommended by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. He expressed his satisfaction that the NIRF rankings embody the spirit of the NEP, which aims to foster quality education across the nation. Congratulating the higher education institutions (HEIs) that excelled in various parameters such as teaching, research, and innovation, the Minister noted their contribution to the pride of India.

Pradhan underscored the importance of transparency in academic institutions, stating that students and parents have the right to know the quality and performance of HEIs. He called for all 58,000 HEIs in the country to participate in the ranking and rating framework, stressing that employability and skills development should be prioritized within this mechanism. The Minister also proposed that intangible aspects of education, which significantly influence learning and development, should be integrated into future ranking frameworks.

Encouraging Indian academic leaders to aim higher in future rankings, Pradhan said, “Together, let’s foster an environment of educational excellence to realize the goal of Viksit Bharat.”

In his speech, Dr. Sukanta Majumdar, another key speaker, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for introducing the NEP 2020, which focuses on inclusivity and innovation in Indian academia. He highlighted that the healthy competition among HEIs will elevate their standards over time, and praised the NIRF for including metrics such as research, student welfare, and publications in its evaluations.

K. Sanjay Murthy, addressing the audience, mentioned the numerous workshops conducted by the Ministry of Education to help institutions achieve better rankings. He specifically referenced a workshop organized during the Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam on July 29, 2024, and emphasized the importance of collaboration between Indian and international academic institutions.

India Rankings 2024 marks the 9th consecutive edition of these rankings, with significant updates introduced this year:

1. New Categories: The 2024 edition includes three new categories: State Public Universities, Open Universities, and Skill Universities.
2. Innovation Ranking: The integration of the “Innovation” ranking into the India Rankings using the NIRF framework.

With these additions, the India Rankings now encompass 16 categories and subject domains, further broadening the scope of its evaluations. The rankings initially began in 2016 with universities and three domain-specific categories—Engineering, Management, and Pharmacy. Over the past nine years, the framework has expanded to include eight categories and eight subject domains, reflecting the evolving landscape of Indian higher education.