How Panjab University cracked the Times Higher Education list

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, astronaut Kalpana Chawla and scientist Yash Pal are among its most illustrious alumni. And yet, when Panjab University found itself at the 239th spot on the Times Higher Education (THE) rankings, ahead of institutions including IIT Delhi and IIT Kharagpur, many eyebrows were raised.
For, Panjab University, established in 1882, had not featured among the top 500 universities in the QS World University rankings published in September this year. Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) and THE rankings are considered the benchmark indices for the top universities in the world. In fact, the ministry of human resources development (MHRD) had to face a lot of criticism when the QS rankings were published last month as none of the Indian educational institutions figured in the top 200 rankings. More...