BITS VC flags flaws in NIRF framework: calls for transparency and reform

BITS Pilani has broken into the top 10 in the ‘universities’ category of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) for the first time since 2016.

The achievement has prompted discussions about both the progress of the institute and the challenges surrounding India’s ranking system.

Prof V Ramgopal Rao, Group Vice-Chancellor of BITS Pilani and former IIT Delhi director, noted the factors that worked in the institute’s favor this year. At the same time, he reiterated concerns he had raised earlier about the NIRF methodology.

“The perception parameter continues to be subjective, and the methodology lacks adequate transparency, with a heavy reliance on self-reported data from institutions,” said Rao, who co-authored a paper last year in Current Science on inconsistencies in the rankings.

The Ministry of Education introduced the NIRF to assess higher education institutions through parameters such as teaching, research, graduation outcomes, inclusivity, and perception.

The framework, which started with fewer categories, now spans 17, including Overall, Universities, Colleges, Research Institutions, Engineering, Management, Pharmacy, Medical, Dental, Law, Agriculture and Allied Sectors, Architecture and Planning, Open University, Skill University, State Public University, Innovation, and SDG or Sustainability.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who announced the India Rankings 2025 awards, also voiced concerns about the ‘peer perception’ element, which accounts for 10% of the total score.

“The NIRF should ensure that government-funded institutions do not fall behind because of this yardstick,” he said.

Pradhan expressed optimism about the system’s future. “I am confident that the NIRF will become one of the best accreditation frameworks by including metrics such as entrepreneurs created by an institution, involving more data-driven approaches, and adding more categories and institutions in the future,” he said.

He also highlighted the importance of the growing participation in the rankings. “This shows the stable growth of our higher education sector. The challenge is to increase both the number of students and the quality of education,” he said.

Pradhan added that the government is preparing for further reforms. “Very soon, a new mechanism for institutional ranking will be placed. We will go by the theory of one nation, one data,” he said.