Among State public universities, Bengal’s Jadavpur is no. 1 this year in NIRF

West Bengal, usually in the news mostly for the wrong reasons in recent years, has something to cheer about. In the just-released NIRF, or National Institutional Ranking Framework figures, Jadavpur University is no. 1 in the State Public University list and is at no. 18 in the Overall category, a matter of pride for the Kolkata-based institution.

In sharp contrast, Visva-Bharati, the only Central university in West Bengal, saw a sharp decline in its ranking. In 2016, immediately after NIRF was instituted, the Rabindranath Tagore-founded university was at no. 11 among universities; today its position has plunged into the 151-200 band after a steady decline in its rank over the years. The University of Calcutta too has seen a downslide, though not on the scale of Visva-Bharati: for example, from no. 11 in 2021 in the Overall category, to no. 47 this year.

“The excellent ranking is particularly heartening for us as we have been functioning under severe infrastructural constraints. It is testimony to Jadavpur University’s vibrant academic and research culture and is a result of the dedication of faculty, administration and students. Being a former student of the university, I feel particularly proud,” Sayantan Dasgupta, professor of Comparative Literature and joint coordinator of the university’s Centre for Translation of Indian Literatures, told The Hindu.

He added: “Jadavpur University, of course, excels in terms of academic parameters, but just as importantly, our commitment to academic social responsibility, our interdisciplinary approach and our innovative outreach activities are things that make this institution a special place.”

Jadavpur University, just like IIT-Kharagpur, has consistently done well in NIRF rankings, both unusually visible towards the top of the list, the technical institution always doing better than the university. But it’s the no. 1 position in the State Public University that has brought cheer to its teachers and students and former students alike.

Prof. Dasgupta asserted: “In spite of the paucity of funds and the large number of vacant posts, Jadavpur University continues to excel in the fields of science, technology, humanities and management, and to contribute to social amelioration and cutting-edge technological innovation.”

“That resilience is what this ranking validates and celebrates. Our commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, our consistent engagement with new interdisciplinary fields like environmental humanities and digital humanities, our outreach that extends to marginalised linguistic communities, and our focus on holistic education that brings together local and global imperatives — these are what marks Jadavpur out as unique.”

Even though Jadavpur University is autonomous, many in the academia feel this ranking will boost the morale of students in West Bengal where educational institutions run/aided by the State Government appear to be losing their appeal, with many young people heading to other States to pursue higher education. But there are also teachers who feel that rankings won’t make much of a difference to the image of the education system in Bengal.

“The government of West Bengal has created a collective distrust about government education among the citizens. Larger people are not aware and don’t care about NIRF ranking, people don’t even know what it is. But what they do know is that Joint Entrance Exam results are exceptionally late, college admissions are exceptionally late, thousands of teachers lost their job, people get jobs by money not by merit. The system affects the mental health of students even at the age of 15!” said Mrinmoy Pramanick, a Sahitya Award-winning professor at the University of Calcutta.