One of India’s premier state universities is facing failure in its bid to take part in a government-funded excellence scheme designating the country’s emerging “world-class teaching and research” institutions.
India’s University Grants Commission (UGC), which sets national standards in higher education, has decided against recommending Jadavpur University (JU), a shortlisted institution for the coveted ‘Institution of Eminence’ status.
Launched in 2018 by India’s Ministry of Education, the scheme is meant to recognise excellent institutions, with a total of 20 universities – 10 public and 10 private – intended to receive support under the scheme. To date, the government has conferred the title on 12 universities, with more expected to be announced this year.
Perks include more autonomy and freedom from government regulations as well as hefty government subsidies, with public institutions under the scheme receiving 1,000 crore (£96 million) in funding.
According to Indian media, Jadavpur recently was unable to get finances from the West Bengal state government to support its bid. The UGC’s vote of no-confidence in the institution comes amid declining government funding in the sector – and signs that Jadavpur is feeling the pressure.
Back in November, the university’s then vice-chancellor Suranjan Das wrote to alumni, saying that “government funding, both state and central, is becoming extremely inadequate”, urging them to help ease its “considerable financial restraints”.
Scholars predicted the recent decision would be a significant setback.
“It is a big loss,” said Aarti Srivastava, a professor at India’s National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), of the UGC’s recommendation against JU.
Gaining IoE status was a “big deal” for institutions, agreed Eldho Matthews, a deputy adviser to the Unit for International Cooperation at NIEPA. He suggested the UGC decision was linked to a lack of willingness by state government to contribute more funding.
“States also have to pump [in] a lot of money to meet the criteria,” he noted.
Saumen Chattopadhyay, a professor at the Zakir Husain Centre for Educational Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, said it was unfortunate that JU had failed to secure a recommendation for IoE status, especially since he felt a couple of institutions already on the list did not merit the title.
“The IoE status accorded to some universities is disputable and I would rather say, unacceptable and undesirable,” he said.
Times Higher Education contacted JU and the UGC for comment.
