International ranking systems cannot constitute the basis for benchmarking of Indian institutions

By Rashmi r Parida, New Delhi. International ranking systems cannot constitute the basis for benchmarking of Indian institutions. This information was given by the Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Dr. Shashi Tharoor in Rajya Sabha today.
Minister Tharoor said that there are several entities undertaking ranking of world universities as per their own criteria. Some of the better known global systems of rankings are the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) system, the Times Higher Education (THE), World University Rankings and the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) published by Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
He further added that these different international ranking systems use different values, indices and parameters to rank higher educational institutions. These criteria are neither universally accepted nor recognized and are therefore sometimes subjected to criticism in academic circles. Some of these parameters may not be relevant for Indian higher educational institutions and therefore, these rankings cannot constitute the basis for benchmarking of Indian institutions. Read more...