An obsession with ranking is harming India’s universities

The increasing emphasis on global university rankings has significantly shaped the educational landscape in India, impacting teaching, research, and the overall mission of universities.

The Flaws of Ranking Systems

• One-Dimensional Focus: Global rankings prioritize research output over teaching quality, quantifying universities based on metrics like publication counts and funding rather than holistic educational impact.
• Impact on Visibility: Indian universities engage in the ranking race to enhance their visibility and attract international talent, often leading to policy adjustments aimed solely at improving ranks.
• Neglect of Essential Functions: The obsession with rankings undermines universities’ primary purpose of educating students, sidelining teaching and mentoring, especially for economically weaker sections.

Consequences for Faculty

• Research Over Teaching: The academic culture favors research accomplishments over teaching effectiveness, leading to hiring practices that prioritize publication metrics over pedagogical skills.
• Career Advancement Issues: Faculty promotions hinge on research outputs, neglecting teaching performance, which is difficult to quantify but crucial for student success.
• Publish or Perish Culture: This relentless pursuit of research metrics fosters misconduct and a decline in teaching quality, compromising the integrity of higher education.

A Call for Change

• Dual Tracks for Faculty: Universities should establish distinct tracks for research-focused and teaching-focused faculty to ensure that both roles are valued and not conflated.
• Societal Impact Over Metrics: Academic contributions should be evaluated based on societal relevance rather than mere journal impact factors, emphasizing the real-world implications of research.
• Paradigm Shift Needed: A cultural shift is required to recognize and reward both research and teaching efforts, ensuring that universities fulfill their mission as centers of higher learning.

Practice Question

Q. Discuss the implications of global university rankings on the quality of higher education in India. How can universities balance the dual responsibilities of research and teaching?