IIST, Amrita among top ten in National Institutional Ranking Framework

Thiruvananthapuram: The universities from the state have marked a credible performance in the ranking of the National Institutional Ranking Framework of the Ministry of Human Resource Development with a number of universities, engineering colleges, pharmacy colleges and management institutions finding their way into top brackets in the rankings.

In the university rankings, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram was ranked eighth while Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) 30th.

In the engineering colleges, Amrita School of Engineering, Karunaga-pally is ranked 31st, National Institute of Technology, Kozhikode 35th and CUSAT ranked 55th.

In management institutions, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode is ranked sixth, Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, Kochi ranked 36th, Rajagiri Business School,Kochi 37th and SCMS School of Technology and Management, Kochi 50th.

In the pharmacy institutions, Amrita School of Pharmacy, Kochi is ranked 8th. Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) Vice Chairman T P Sreenivasan told DC that the ranking was an indicator of the level of academic achievements of an institution. Unlike, the international ranking system, this system gave more emphasis on teaching and not research, Mr Sreenivasan said.

However, former Kerala University commerce department head Dr. M Sarngadharan said that the present ranking system did not give adequate weightage to the social justice component.

Sources said that the present ranking system is based on parameters like faculty-student ratio with emphasis on permanent faculty, research, professional practice and collaborative performance, percentage of economically and socially disadvantaged students, and facilities for physically challenged students.