The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) has been approved by the MHRD and launched by Minister of Human Resource Development on 29th September, 2015.
This framework outlines a methodology to rank institutions across the country. The methodology draws from the overall recommendations broad understanding arrived at by a Core Committee set up by MHRD, to identify the broad parameters for ranking various universities and institutions.
Although the Ranking Frameworks are similar, the exact methodologies are domain specific. Ranking methods have been worked out for engineering and management institutions, while those for other domains will be announced soon.
NIRF would enable parents, students, teachers, educational institutions and other stakeholders to rank institutions on the basis of a set of objective parameters and a transparent process.
Developed by a team of experts in education and heads of institutions, the portal and the framework is presently available for engineering and management institutions. This framework will be extended to other disciplines like architecture, pharmacy and humanities and for universities within the next 4 weeks.
National Institutional Ranking Framework follows an Indian approach which considers India-centric parameters like diversity and inclusiveness apart from excellence in teaching learning and research.
The NIRF will facilitate a level playing field in ranking for institutions which have been working in languages other than English and excelled relatively in the recent past.
5 PARAMETERS:
The parameters broadly cover “Teaching, Learning and Resources,” “Research and Professional Practices,” “Graduation Outcomes,” “Outreach and Inclusivity,” and “Perception”.
1. Teaching, Learning & Resources: These parameters are related to the core activities of any place of learning. These lay emphasis on measuring numbers and quality of faculty, library and lab resources and general facilities for development of young persons. These are organized into the following sub-parameters:
- Faculty Student Ratio,
- Faculty Qualifications and Experience,
- Library and Laboratory Facilities,
- Facilities for Sports and Extra-Curricular Activities.
2. Research, Professional Practice & Collaborative Performance: Excellence in teaching and learning is closely associated with the scholarship of the faculty and students. Equally, faculty members are expected to make their knowledge and expertise available to benefit the society and industry. These parameters, therefore, attempt to measure the quantity and quality of research output as seen through international data bases, IPR generation and interface with industry and fellow professionals. These are organized as follows:
- Peer-Reviewed Publications.
- Citations of Research.
- IPR and Patents.
- Collaborative Work.
- Research Funding and Consulting.
3. Graduation Outcomes: This parameter forms the ultimate test of the effectiveness of the core teaching/learning activity, and measures the student graduation rate and their success in finding appropriate placement in industry and Government or taking up higher studies. These are organized as follows:
- Public and University Examinations.
- Placement, Higher Studies and Entrepreneurship.
- Mean Compensation Package.
4. Outreach: The Ranking framework lays special emphasis on representation of women and socially challenged persons in student and/or faculty populations, and also on outreach activities of the institution. These are detailed below:
- Outreach.
- Region Diversity.
- Representation of Women.
- Socially Challenged Students.
- Facilities for Physically Challenged Students.
5. Perception: The ranking methodology gives a significant importance to the perception of the institution by its stakeholders. This will be accomplished through Stakeholder Surveys.
- Perception.