Ashoka Cofounder Vineet Gupta - How should India compete globally to rank more universities

India has a robust education system with numerous universities and colleges, but it currently ranks low in global university rankings with only 9 universities in top 500. India has to concentrate on several key areas in order to have more institutions rank in top 500 and compete globally with other nations like the United States and UK which have 83 and 46 universities on the list respectively. The resources and infrastructure that universities have access to can be improved with more funding for higher education, which can then help institutions rank higher globally. Vineet Gupta Ashoka University Founder claims, " Some of the areas in which Indian institutions do not fare well include research, number of international faculty and students and global perception.

India will need to significantly increase its funding for research while competing with universities globally. The perception of India as a study destination for students also needs to go up exponentially. This is a function of infrastructure and opportunities for students coming to India to study." Universities that are highly placed in global rankings often have a strong commitment on research and innovation. While Indian universities score well on teaching, they fare poorly on research and have to concentrate on research and innovation that can thrive on the global arena. Ironically, students from Indian institutions do exceptionally well in research in foreign countries.

Infact we lose some of our best research talent to global universities. The research output both in terms of publications per faculty and number of citations ranks poorly for most Indian institutions. “Globally, research in universities has been funded by government. In the US, federal agencies such as DARPA and NIH fueled research post World War II which led to the domination of US universities in research rankings. The NEP 2021 has proposed the setting up a central body to fund research (National Research Foundation) on the lines of NSF in US. This will be very welcome. Along with this, Indian universities should put attention to enhancing infrastructure, both by funding and through recruiting international faculty and by offering students a top-notch learning environment,” asserts Vineet Gupta.

Another key criterion is perception of an institute amongst academics worldwide. Strong global partnerships between institutions can help with improved rankings. Greater collaboration between faculty across institutes leads not only to enhanced perception but also contributes to diverse viewpoints and creation of knowledge. Indian universities should proactively look for possibilities to create partnerships and work on research and educational initiatives with foreign institutions. "Any university that wants to be successful must engage in international collaborations because these partnerships give students access to a wider variety of materials and viewpoints and help the institution establish a worldwide reputation. Indian universities have the capacity to compete on a global scale, but in order to do so, attention should be paid to boosting research, investing in infrastructure and encouraging international collaborations. By addressing these challenges, the Indian educational system may build a strong reputation, gain worldwide recognition and add more universities to the list of top universities in the world.," states Vineet Gupta Ashoka University Cofounder.