BENGALURU: Two institutions from the state - the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) - were awarded the 'Institution of Eminence (IoE)' tag along with four others by the central government on Monday. An empowered expert committee recommended them as IoEs which can emerge as world-class teaching and research institutions after the University Grants Commission (UGC) invited the proposals in September 2017.
The IISc was ranked first in the country, according to the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2018, constituted by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) as a methodology to rank institutions across the country. MAHE was ranked 18 in the overall NIRF rankings, but topped the chart of private Indian universities, in the recent QS World University Rankings. IISc Director Prof. Anurag Kumar told Deccan Chronicle that this will be another feather in the cap of the 109-year-old institution. "As the top-ranked university in the country, we look forward to raising our international profile further with the help of resources and autonomy that will flow from this recognition," he said.
After HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar tweeted the news, the MAHE campus erupted in joy. Chancellor Dr Ramdas M. Pai said, "This will inspire us to put in more efforts to live up to the expectations of the central government. This will give us greater confidence to raise the standard of teaching and research. This will be a stepping stone for our University to get a ranking among the top 200 universities in the world." While the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) Bombay and Delhi are identified as the other two IoEs under the government institutions category, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, and the yet-to-be-established Jio Institute by Reliance Foundation have been selected from private institutions category.
