The Trouble With Rankings

Context: There’s a need to redefine the idea of a university within the framework of an ever-changing social perspective and need.

Evolving concept of a university

• Ancient concept – School of Universal Learning: “A University seems to be in its essence, a place for the communication and circulation of thought, by means of personal intercourse, through a wide extent of country,” noted John Henry Newman in his 1852 book, ‘The Idea of a University.
• Modern concept -- Fusion of teaching and research: Beginning from the founding of University of Berlin in 1810, the principle was Fusion of teaching and research. – The Humboldtian’ University
  • Objective of the University changed to advance knowledge by original and critical investigation, not just to transmit the legacy of the past or to teach skills.
• Colonial infusion and Indianisation: Universities of Calcutta, Bombay and Madras were established in 1857, with the immediate interest to produce graduates to fill up salaried positions.
  • Rabindranath Tagore - Primary function of University should be constructive work of knowledge.

Issues associated with ranking of contemporary Universities

• Subjectivity in selection of criteria and their weights: It differ from one ranking organisation to another and, thus, rankings vary depending on choices of ranking organisation.
• Many criteria are biased against small but important institutes: For example, criteria like research income from industry, ratio of international to domestic staff and students, number of students, research papers, citations etc.
• Overemphasis on perception: That arises from high weightage given to reputational survey or academic peer review criteria.
• Question over the transparency of processes: Last year, seven leading IITs announced that they would boycott one such ranking, saying they are not satisfied with transparency of the process.
• Narrow view of number of research publications: as the only criteria for gauging productivity and quality of research adversely impact resource management and quality of work.
• Missing element of social perspective: There are many universities that cater to local people; their contribution shall not be negated against the fancy achievements of elite universities.

Conclusion: The worth of university rankings, thus, is not very clear. “When we see a foreign University, we see only its smaller body – its buildings, its furniture, its regulations, its syllabus; its larger body is not present to us. But as the kernel of the coconut is in the whole coconut, so the University,” Tagore envisaged a century ago.